The Wolf Hanyou
by Nicola19
Summary: Naomi raised Inu after his mother's death. They had a huge fight and stopped speaking. Now Inu asks her for help and she agrees. Naomi begins to meddle with Inu and his gang to make them happy. Summary isn't really good enough. please read. InuKag, SessOC
1. An Old Friend

My very first fanfic was a story similar to this one. One day I signed on to find that the story had vanished. I still don't know what happened. I didn't have any of the old chapters so I decided to just rewrite it. Hopefully this is at least as good as - if not better than - the original. Can't tell you since I can't remember how the first chapter of the original went.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Ch. 1: An Old Friend  
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Naomi smirked. How interesting to see him approaching her home again. He'd left over hundred years ago with an arrogant swagger and swearing he would never come back. Yet here he was, walking through the doors of her mountain compound. She could tell from his scent that was more than a little nervous. His companions were looking around with interest. Naomi knew who they were. Despite the way he left, she had kept track of any news concerning him. She's made a promise to watched out for him after all.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. A lost puppy," she said as she leaned against the wall. Naomi had no intentions of letting this return be easy for him. "I thought you weren't coming back, Inuyasha."

The hanyou shifted uncomfortably. Naomi took the chance to examine the hanyou. He hadn't changed much in the last one hundred years since she'd seen him. His hair was still long and silver. There was a pain in his golden eyes that hadn't been there before. Probably the leftovers of Kikyo's betrayal. He was taller than when she'd last seen him, and seemed stronger somehow.

"Cat got your tongue, Inuyasha?" she asked him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Or did you forget how to speak?"

He glared at her. "I see you haven't changed."

"Why would I?" she replied with an indifferent shrug. "I like who I am."

"No one likes a sharp tongue, Naomi."

"Then why are you here subjecting yourself to it? If I remember correctly, it was your choice to leave in the first place." Naomi's eyes burned with suppressed anger. "I told you that you weren't ready and you chose not to listen."

He flinched and his ears flattened. "I know." Inuyasha fidgeted uncomfortably. "Look, Naomi, I want...I need your help."

She tilted her head and examined him for a moment. "My help?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah."

Naomi considered him for a moment then motioned him and his friends inside. "Come in, Inuyasha, and you can tell me what brought this on."

Her eyes scanned the group. She saw the demon slayer, Sango. From what she heard, Sango was a formidable opponent to anyone foolish enough to anger her. Then there was the monk, Miroku – the man with a curse that would kill him one day. There was Shippo, the orphan fox demon, and Kilala, Sango's companion. Then her eyes landed on the miko called Kagome, the girl who had freed Inuyasha from Kikyo's spell. She was the one that interested Naomi the most. From what she'd heard, Kagome was the one person in the world Inuyasha loved more than himself.

She turned and led them through her house. There would be time for talk when they'd all settled down in the library. Then she could get to the bottom of what brought Inuyasha back here a hundred years after he'd left.

As they walked, Kagome examined her surroundings. The house was kept clean and several painting hung on the walls, most of them seascapes. Soft, beautiful rugs were placed on the floors. She saw plants that provided color and life. All of the plants were in beautiful pots, painted and molded to please the eye. This demoness obviously liked beauty. So much so that she surrounded herself with it.

The miko turned her attention to the demoness. She was beautiful. Naomi's black hair was thick and long. There were two streaks of dark blue hair framing her face. She had sea green eyes that were intelligent and wise. Naomi had a petite build, but the energy and strength she gave off made her seem larger. Unlike most of the women of the Feudal Era, Naomi didn't wear a women's kimono. Instead, she chose dark blue hakama, much like Sesshoumaru's, and a man's kimono with silver hems. Hanging from the silver sash at her waist was a water skin. She varied from tradition again by choosing to wear boots instead of the usual footwear of the country. She had one blue stripe on each cheek. Instead of human ears, she had those of a wolf. A beautiful black tail swished behind her.

Kagome hadn't heard of Naomi until this morning. For the last week, Inuyasha had seemed driven to get to this compound. He hadn't let anything slow him down or get in the way. This morning, Kagome had put her foot down. Inuyasha had been like a slave driver and she had been too tired to let him do it anymore. That was when he finally explained where they were going. Kagome still didn't know the entire story but she did realize that this was important to Inuyasha. He desperately wanted Naomi's forgiveness and help. The miko sighed. She would do anything to make Inuyasha happy, including running herself into the ground to reach this compound. She was so sore and tired.

Naomi heard the sigh and glanced back. Her eyes narrowed. "What did you do, Inuyasha? Run them ragged? This girl is ready to fall over." She walked over to Kagome and placed a clawed hand under her chin, forcing the miko to meet her gaze. "She so tired she's nearly asleep standing."

"I'm fine," Kagome objected, pulling her chin away from Naomi's hand.

The demoness smiled. "Really? Then why are you're eyes half shut?" Naomi turned to Inuyasha. She stared at him for a moment then shook her head with an indulgent smile. "You haven't changed at all, Inuyasha. Still running full speed ahead without any thought to the consequences like a hotheaded fool."

He wasn't sure whether he should be irritated or happy with Naomi's comment. On the one hand, she was smiling at him again. Still, she did just call him a hothead. Irritation came easier so he settled on that and glared at her. She didn't seem surprised with his reaction.

"I was going to take you to the library to talk," she commented then examined the group. "Instead, I think I'll show you to rooms. You all need some sleep. We can talk in the morning."

"Naomi, I want to talk to you now," Inuyasha insisted.

She looked at him. As usual, he had the feeling that she could see every little thought and feeling that ran through him. For perhaps the first time in his life, he met her gaze without looking away. Naomi smiled and said, "We can talk then. Let me get the others to bed. They've had a long journey. You remember where the library is right?"

He nodded.

"Good. I'll meet you there."

She turned and went down a different hall. Everyone but Inuyasha followed her. As they walked, Miroku decided to asked the question that everyone wanted the answer to. "Umm, excuse me, Lady Naomi?"

The demoness glanced over her shoulder. "What is it, Monk?" Her eyes narrowed as she remembered the rumors about this particular man. "You're not about to ask your favorite question are you? Because the answer is absolutely not."

He shook his head. "No, though now that you mention it, I should have." Sango shot him a very angry look and he held his hands up as it to hold her off. "I didn't ask, Sango."

"You were about to." Sango poked him in the chest. "I will hurt you, Miroku. I really will."

The monk cleared his throat. "Umm...what I was going to ask, Lady Naomi, was how do you know Inuyasha? He hasn't explained."

"I'm not surprised. We didn't split on good terms," she replied.

"You two were a..." Miroku left the question hanging.

Naomi stopped and looked at him with disgust. "No. I've known Inuyasha since he was a pup. That would be like...yuck. Don't even suggest it." She turned with one last shudder. "The rooms are this way."

"So how do you know Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"I helped his mother until her death. After she died, I took over raising him." Naomi stopped in front of a shoji. "Here's Sango's room. Miroku, yours is across the hall." The demoness turned to Kagome. "You're is farther down the hall, across from Inuyasha's."

Inuyasha's friends were still staring at her in shock. Kagome shed her paralysis first and said, "You raised Inuyasha?"

Naomi couldn't help the small chuckle. Their reaction was so amusing. "Yes and no. He lived here with me until about one hundred years ago. Then he took off because he thought he was ready to handle the world."

"You didn't agree," Miroku stated.

"No, I didn't. Inuyasha was young and naïve. Not only that but he hated his human blood. I knew the combination of the two would get him into trouble. It wasn't easy letting him walk out of the compound. We had a fight that lasted for hours." Naomi's eyes grew distant. "He didn't want to listen to me though. Thought he knew it all. Turns out he didn't and paid for his mistake with fifty years of his life."

Kagome saw what the others didn't. Naomi felt guilt for what happened to Inuyasha. The miko's voice was soft as she spoke. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"It's hard not to get attached when you raise someone." Naomi started down the hall. "Come this way, Kagome. Your room is down here."

Sango frowned. "Wait. How did you know our names?"

Naomi looked over her shoulder with an indulgent smile. "I live in the western lands. In case you've forgotten, Lord Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha's half brother. These lands receive quite a bit of news on both of Inu Tashio's sons." Her smile widened. "Much to Lord Sesshoumaru's annoyance."

"Do you know Lord Sesshoumaru too?" Kagome asked curiously.

The demoness shook her head. "No. He doesn't associate with my kind."

"You're kind?"

Naomi nodded. "Hanyous."

They all looked at her in shock.

"You're a hanyou?" Sango asked in shock.

"A wolf hanyou to be specific," Naomi confirmed.

"You look pure demon to me," Miroku stated. "Well, except for the ears."

"I know. Are you coming Kagome? I really need to go talk with Inuyasha." Naomi looked towards the direction Inuyasha went. "I'm getting the impression that I'll be around to answer all questions later."

Kagome nodded and followed Naomi to her bedroom with Shippo.

Naomi wished the two goodnight and made her way back to the library where Inuyasha waited. When she walked in, Naomi immediately relaxed. She loved books. Of all the rooms in the house, this was her favorite. Books covered every shelf. Some laid on the tables positioned around the room. There was a large window that let light into the room. At night, Naomi lit candles. With her demon vision that was all she really needed.

Right now there were no candles lit, but she could sill make out Inuyasha's figure standing by the window as he stared out into the night. She crossed her arms. "Alright, Inuyasha. Tell me why you're here."

He turned to face her. "It started fifty-one years ago when Kikyo pinned me to a tree..."

Naomi listened to him patiently as he told her about everything. She took an immediate dislike to Naraku. That wasn't really unexpected. She'd heard about the hanyou but hadn't really had any person dealings with him until now. Still, anyone who was that cruel needed to be punished. She listened as Inuyasha told her about Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo. During that moment, she discovered something she'd already guessed. Inuyasha cared very deeply for the young miko. Maybe was even in love with her. Naomi gave a small knowing smile but said nothing. Inuyasha reluctantly told her about his encounters with Seshoumaru and Kikyo. Inuyasha's story was rounding to a close now.

Naomi already knew what he wanted, and her answer. That didn't me she wasn't going to make him ask anyway. Inuyasha did run out of here with quite a few mean things said between them. Then he want and got himself pinned to a tree for fifty years. Naomi was just angry enough to make him swallow his pride before she gave him her answer. She smirked. Hopefully he didn't choke on that pride. It was fairly large after all.

"...Anyway," Inuyasha continued, "I can't find Naraku on my own. Even when I do find him, I can't seem to kill him. I...I need...help. Naomi, I need your help."

She watched him for a moment then walked over to him. "Before I answer, I just want to get one thing out of my system first."

Inuyasha braced himself. Naomi had a violent temper and he hadn't exactly left her in a happy mood.

She drew back a hand and swung it towards him. Just when it would have connected with his face, she stopped, smiled, and patted his cheek. "I told you so," she informed him with a satisfied smile.

The dog hanyou stared at her in shock. "Huh? You aren't going to hit me?"

"No. I just wanted to say I told you so." Naomi's smile widened. "And I did. I told you that you shouldn't have left the compound when you did, but did you listen to me? Nooo. You thought you knew it all." Naomi was enjoying herself now. "Then you went and got pinned to a tree for fifty years."

H glared at her. "Alright. Feel free to rub it in, why don't ya? I messed up. I get it."

"Inuyasha, everyone messes up." Naomi leaned against a table and looked at him. "Even I've messed up, though that's rare. I also accept that some lessons you had to learn the hard way. I still enjoy saying I told you so. Which I did."

Inuyasha sighed in resignation. She was right. "Fine. You told me so. Now are you going to help me or not?"

"Of course I'll help you, Inuyasha. I could have given you the answer the moment you walked onto the compound."

He stared at her in shock. "You mean I just spilled my guts to you for nothing? I could have just asked you for help from the beginning and you'd've said yes?"

Naomi shook her head. "No. I was mad at you for some of the things you said to me before leaving. Making you swallow your pride was a good way to get back at you." She stood and stretched. "I'm going to bed. You know where your room is. We'll leave in a week."

"Why not tomorrow?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Because your friends need to rest, Inuyasha," she told him patiently. "Or have you forgotten how tired they were. They can take a week to rest."

"But..."

"Inuyasha," Naomi growled.

He winced and prepared for the worst of Naomi's temper.

"If you start arguing with me over every little thing, I'm going to hurt you," she warned him. "We're waiting a week. Live with it."

"Okay, okay."

"Good." She turned and walked out of the library. "Good night."

Naomi walked down the hall and into her room. Unlike the rest of her home, the decoration in this room was simple. She had a single painting of a large white dog demon hanging on one wall. Her bed was large and covered in soft warm blankets. The nightstand by her bed had a book sitting on it and an oil lamp. She had a dresser for storing her clothing. That was it. She walked across the room and over to the shoji that led outside and opened it up. The night was cool and the sky clear. Naomi took a deep breath and smiled slowly.

A sound reached her. She tilted her head and her ears twitched. The scent of sadness was in the air. It would seem the young miko was upset. Naomi turned and followed her nose to the girl's location. It didn't take her long to locate Kagome. The young miko was sitting underneath a large and old willow in Naomi's garden.

The garden was Naomi's favorite location in the world even above the library. She'd worked hard to make it was a place she could relax with ease. Forests of green, healthy plants filled every corner. She had stone pathways that formed a spider's web when seen from above. Bursts of color from flowers and fruits came from every angle. The smell of those blossoms filled the air with their beautiful fragrances. Fireflies danced through the garden in patterns that caught her eye. The sky above was clear and littered with stars. She could hear cricket bugs and other assorted night noises.

In the center of her garden was a willow that was nearly four hundred years old. The willow sat on a small island formed by a split in the creek that flowed through the garden. Next to the willow was a bench where Naomi would frequently sit. Naomi had a special attachment to that willow. It was only a few decades younger than she was and was planted for her. She pushed the branches aside and stepped within the tree's shelter. The miko sat on the bench opposite of where Naomi stood.

"I see you found my tree," the wolf hanyou said conversationally.

Kagome jumped and looked at Naomi. "I didn't hear you."

"I know." Naomi sat next to Kagome. "I love this tree. It's very special to me."

"Why?" the miko asked curiously.

"The man who raised me planted it here the day he brought me here. It was my job to tend to it. This tree saved my life. I needed something, anything, to depend on me. To need me in order to exist. As if that would give me a reason to keep living. This tree provided me with that," the hanyou explained. "Now I still tend to it, as gratitude for what it gave me."

They sat in silence for a moment. Naomi examined Kagome. The girl was exhausted and still she didn't sleep. There was something troubling her. That much was obvious. Kagome was frowning slightly and she stared at the ground.

"So, what are you thinking about so much?" Naomi asked as she tilted her head.

Kagome shook her head. "Nothing important."

"You know, too much thinking can be bad for you." At Kagome's disbelieving look, Naomi smiled. "It gives you headaches and has you complicating things that are very simple. You should share what's on your mind so I can be sure you don't do the latter. It would be a shame if you complicate the simple."

The miko chuckled. "Right. I was just thinking about Inuyasha. You know about him and Kikyo?"

"He told me everything. Reluctantly but he did tell me." Naomi faced forward and leaned back against the tree. "I'm guessing you love him."

Kagome looked at Naomi in shock. "What?"

"You love him," she repeated simply. "It's written all over your face when you look at him. I hope you weren't trying to keep it a secret. If so, you were failing miserably."

"No," Kagome said in a sigh. "I wasn't trying to hide it."

"So why does this make you so glum. Usually girls in love are thrilled and happy people." Naomi frowned. "They can make others sick with just how happy they are."

Kagome laughed at Naomi's obvious disgust with that. "I guess this isn't a normal love. Inuyasha doesn't love me. Not in the way I want him to. I'll always come second to Kikyo."

"I don't think so," Naomi disagreed. "I think you'd come first if not for the guilt."

"Guilt?"

"Yeah. Guilt is an evil emotion. It can make you do things or say things that you wouldn't otherwise say or do. A lot like love or hate I guess. Unlike those two though, guilt makes you choose something. In Inuyasha's case, it's between you, the girl that he cares for most right now, or Kikyo, the girl that he loved first. Guilt has him choosing Kikyo."

"Why should he feel guilty about Kikyo?" Kagome asked. "It's not like he betrayed her."

"But he did," Naomi corrected. "He betrayed her by believing she betrayed him. By for one moment, believing she would hurt him without cause. He'll twist things around so that everything that went wrong between them was his fault. Guilt does that too. It can twist reality until everything is your fault even when it's not." Naomi turned her head to looked at Kagome with a small smile. "That's part of the complicating things that are very simple I told you about. Inuyasha tends to do that a lot."

"What did he complicate? I thought he simpled it down so that it was all his fault."

"Alright." The hanyou sat up and turned to fully face Kagome. "Here's the simple version of what happened between him and Kikyo. They loved each other but didn't trust. That allowed Naraku to get in there and turn them against each other. It's not Kikyo's fault nor is it Inuyasha's. It just was. Feeling guilty won't change it and it won't get Naraku. So why feel guilt?" Naomi's tone remained matter-of-fact as she said, "On that note. You're situation. You love Inuyasha and that won't change no matter what, right?"

Kagome nodded in agreement.

"Then why worry about it so much. Just relax and go with the flow until a chance comes to do something about it. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just wait for the opportunity to strike." Naomi stood. "If worrying or being sad won't change anything, then why bother?"

"Easier said than done," Kagome muttered.

The hanyou laughed. "Yes it is. But true nonetheless. Come on, miko. You need sleep. Things won't seem so bad in the morning."

Kagom nodded and stood. "Alright."

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All done with this chapter. Let me know what you think. Hate to waste my time on a story no one wants to read. Until the next chapter.


	2. Little One

Yay, someone reviewed. That means i'm not wasting my time. Which is good because I happen to like Naomi...I'd have been sad to give her up. By the way, thanks sangoscourage for the review.

Disclaimer: I own nothing...i'm a broke student who is just trying to pass classes. No money to my name therefore I can't afford to own anything.

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Ch. 2: Little One

During the week, Naomi visited each of the villages around her mountain compound. They would need to be told that she was leaving. It was only right since she served as a major source of protection in the area. With her gone, they would have to rely on other means of protecting themselves. A few of the villages complained. Naomi accepted that. They were afraid and fear made humans very ungracious. Other villages appreciated the warning and she could see the preparations being made as she left. She also found a friend of hers, a demon naturally, to tend to her garden while she was away. All of this took nearly a week. It was also the real reason she told Inuyasha they had to wait a week to leave.

Okay, so she'd lied to him. It was good for him. He was obviously too use to getting his own way. The humans probably complained, but they wouldn't have been able to sway him. Well, except for Kagome, but that necklace he had would be what made that possible.

Naomi wasn't about to let him think she was going to just obediently follow his lead. One, she was older than he was by two hundred years. Two, he was rash and reckless. Both of those meant she couldn't just follow him blindly. No one could. In a few centuries, maybe he'd be mature enough to control some of his instincts, but not now. She would, however, pretend to be blindly following him until it became necessary to do otherwise.

She returned to the compound seven days after Inuyasha arrived. The dog hanyou and his pack were gathered at the gates of the compound. She smiled at them warmly. "Hello again."

"Where have you been?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Taking care of a few things," she told him. "Not that it matters. I'm here now. Are we ready to go?"

"We've been ready for a week," he snapped out.

Naomi's eyes glittered slightly and she gave him a smile that displayed her impressive canines. Her tail twitched with irritation. "Do I need to remind you of why you came to me for help, Inuyasha? Or are you going to stop irritating me all by yourself?"

His ears flattened. "Let's just go."

"I thought you'd see things my way," she stated and turned to step out of the compound. Mentally she grumbled, 'So much for pretending to follow blindly. Oh well.'

The group headed out and made their way down the mountain. Naomi took the travel time to get to know Inuyasha's friends. All in all, she liked them. They were strange and crazy but good people. Sango and Miroku were a match made in heaven if she'd ever seen one. Not that they admitted it. That would come with time. Shippo was a good kid. He obviously saw Kagome as a mother and she treated him as if he was her own. The group was like one large family. It was...nice.

Weeks flew by as they searched for Naraku. Naomi wasn't worried about the evil hanyou so much as she was about Inuyasha's happiness. She understood why he needed to kill Naraku. In his place, she'd feel the same. However, that promise he made to Kikyo, about going with her to hell when it was over, wasn't going to happen. That wouldn't make anyone, even Kikyo, happy. Only pain could come from that and she couldn't allow it. She did promise Lord Inu Tashio that she would take care of Inuyasha after all.

Inuyasha was getting impatient as usual. He began pushing the group to move faster and farther with each day, and the humans were having a difficult time keeping up. Finally, Kagome had reached her limits.

"Inuyasha, can we please take a break? I'm exhausted," she begged.

He looked over his shoulder. "No we can't take a break. We have to find Naraku and the jewel shards. Quite complaining."

Kagome's eyes flared. She drew in a breath but Naomi stopped her. Up to this point, Naomi hadn't said a word about anything. She had spent the weeks observing and getting a feel for how things were in the group. Inuyasha was obviously the pack leader. In her opinion he tended to abuse that role but he was young. Miroku and Sango often looked to Kagome to put him in his place. This made things just a little painful for the miko, because she was forced into fights with Inuyasha for the sake of her friends. Naomi decided that it was time for a few changes to the pack order.

"Let me, Kagome." Naomi gave the miko a brief smile before glaring at Inuyasha's back. He was still walking a head of them. "Inuyasha, we're stopping with or without you."

True to her word, Naomi stepped off the road and made her way towards the scent of water. The humans were thirsty and probably hungry too. She heard the others follow her and smiled. They were just tired enough to follow her lead. Inuyasha had no choice but to tag along. He didn't like it, and she didn't expect him to. She could see she would need to have a chat with the dog hanyou. Starting with his attitude towards his friends.

She stopped in a small clearing. A little stream flowed right through it. It would be the perfect place to rest for the night. Naomi turned to Kagome. "You and the others can set up camp here. Inuyasha is coming with me."

"What?" Inuyasha demanded.

Naomi turned her attention to him. "You heard me, Inuyasha. Those ears on your head aren't just for show. Come on."

He sighed and followed her through the forest. Naomi stopped once no one could hear them anymore and turned to him. Inuyasha was so busy grumbling that he didn't see the strike coming. One moment he was walking behind her, the next he was flying through the air. Inuyasha hit the ground with a painful thud. He sat up and rubbed at his jaw.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

Naomi placed her hands on her hips. "Because you're being a jackass. They're human, Inuyasha. They can't keep up the pace you've set these last few days, and you know it."

"Did you have to walk way out here for that?" he demanded.

"Yes, because you are the leader of the pack. I'm not going to disrespect you by hitting you in front of everyone else." Naomi smiled. "Now, Inuyasha, try to be more reasonable in the future so that I won't have to hit you again."

He sighed. "Alright. I'll try."

"Good." She turned and began walking away. "I'm going to train for a while."

"Naomi."

She looked back at him. "Hmmm?"

He couldn't believe he was going to say this but he was. "Thanks."

"You're not alone, Inuyasha. Stop acting like the whole world is going to get you." She started to walk away again then stopped. "By the way, tell Kagome and Sango that there's a hot spring just north of us. They'll want a bath as soon as possible."

He nodded and watched her walk away. Maybe he should have told her that his impatience is usually much worse. Naomi always made him feel relaxed. She had a habit of making everything turn out just right, and she was rarely wrong. Hadn't she known that he hadn't been ready to leave the compound? Naomi had known his trust issues would get him one day. He still remembered the sad and angry look in her eyes when she'd realized he wouldn't listen to her the day he left. The last thing she'd said had been: 'sometimes, you just have to learn the hard way, Inuyasha. I pray, for your sake, I'm wrong'.

The dog hanyou turned and walked back to his friends. He should tell Sango and Kagome about the hotsprings. Naomi was right. They'd want to take a bath while they could.

Naomi found another hotsprings several miles from Inuyasha and the others. She rarely trained while others were present. Her brand of power is very distinctive, and she didn't want word spreading that a hanyou could use the elemental powers of water. She stood at the edge of the spring and checked the area with her senses for anyone in the area. Nothing.

Naomi stepped onto the water without sinking. She opened the waterskin she kept on her sash while taking a fighting stance. With a pull of her hand she had water flowing out of the skin. She began with a water whip. Her movements as she did the training dance were fluid and graceful. She directed the whip's attacked with flicks of her wrist or arm. Then she focused her power and the whip's shape changed into a sword. Water became ice. After minutes of training, her weapon changed to a staff. Every weapon change was quick and seamless. Her movements didn't stop or waver.

She paused as a new sound reached her. Naomi's ears twitched as she listened for anything out of the ordinary. She heard birds chirp and something, probably a deer, running away. Suddenly, an entire flock of birds shot out of the trees followed by a scream. Naomi didn't think. With an ice sword in hand, she just ran in the direction of the scream. Every instinct shouted at her to hurry, and Naomi always listened to her instincts.

Naomi burst through the forest until she saw the little girl. The girl wore an orange and white checkered kimono and part of her dark hair was in a lopsided ponytail. She was cowering against a tree screaming for help. In front of her was a large demon in a baboon pelt.

"Finally found you, little brat," the baboon demon growled. "You're coming with me."

The little girl let out a whimper.

Naomi moved forward and sliced at the baboon. The thing dodged to the left several feet. Naomi positioned herself between the demon and the little girl. Her sword was held ready for a fight. The demon glared at her.

"This is none of your concern, hanyou," he told her in a smooth, almost hypnotic voice.

Naomi growled. "As if I'll just stand here and let anyone harm a child."

The baboon attacked without warning, but Naomi was ready for him. She changed the sword into a water whip and sliced the demon in half as easily as cutting through butter. The demon's body didn't move for a moment. Then it evaporated. She could hear his laughter fill the air.

"My, my. Aren't you a strong one. I'm sure we'll meet again, hanyou." With that, he vanished.

Naomi waited a beat...two...three. Once she was sure he was really gone, she directed the water back into the water skin at her waist. She turned to look at the little girl cowering against the tree. Naomi smiled and crouched in front of the girl.

"Hi. My name is Naomi," she told the girl softly, careful to keep her voice calm and friendly. "What's yours?"

The little girl sniffled as she looked up at Naomi. "Rin."

"Well hello, Rin." Naomi's ears twitched as she listened for anyone calling the girl's name. When she didn't hear anything to indicate someone was looking for Rin, she asked, "Where are your parents?"

"I don't have parents," Rin replied.

"Then who takes care of you, Little One?"

"M'lord."

Naomi sat back on her heels as she decided what to do. Eventually she held out a hand. "Why don't you come with me for now, Little One? We can get you cleaned up and in the morning we can try to find M'lord." Under her breath, Naomi added, "Whoever M'lord is."

Rin nodded and took Naomi's hand. Naomi helped her up and led the girl back to the hot springs. After cleaning of the mud from Rin's face. Naomi sat back. The little girl cleaned up nice. She had a cute face with innocent brown eyes. Naomi couldn't help the smile as she gazed at the girl. There was also traces of a familiar scent on the girl, but Naomi couldn't quite place where she'd caught that scent before.

"There all clean, Little One," she told Rin. "Did the demon hurt you?"

Rin shook her head. "Why do you call me that?"

Naomi titled her head in confusion. "Call you what?"

"Little one?" Rin supplied.

Naomi sat back as her eyes widened in shock. "I didn't realize I..." She smiled. "I didn't mean to. The man who raised me called me that. I guess I just picked it up from him."

"Didn't you have a father?"

"No, like you, I didn't have any parents." Naomi lifted Rin into her arms. "So, do you mind if I call you that?"

Rin shook her head. "No." The little girl focused on the wolf ears on Naomi's head. "What are those?"

"My ears."

"They look like dog ears," Rin pointed out.

Naomi winced. Wolves didn't like being compared to dogs. "I know. Believe me, I know."

"Can I touch them?" Rin asked curiously. She wanted to know if Naomi's ears were as soft as they looked. It would also tell her if they were real. She'd never seen anyone with ears like that before. Naomi nodded with an indulgent smile. Rin reached up and cautiously took one of Naomi's ears in between her fingers. The black fur was soft as silk and warm to the touch. Rin smiled when the ear twitched a little. "They're so soft."

"Thanks...I think." Naomi put Rin down now that she was sure the girl wasn't injured. "Come on. Our camp is this way."

"I hope Master Jaken doesn't worry too much," Rin commented as she followed Naomi.

That name sounded familiar. Where had she heard of Jaken before? "Who's that?"

"Master Jaken watches me when M'lord is working."

"Does M'lord have a name?"

Rin nodded. "Yup, but I'm not suppose to tell people unless he's around. He says it's safer for me that way."

"Is M'lord a demon?"

Again, Rin nodded.

They were just walking into the camp when Naomi said, "Well, anyone who worried about your safety is bound to come looking for you. You can stay with me until he finds you."

"Okay," Rin agreed.

"Where'd the brat come from?" Inuyasha asked. He was sitting next to the fire with Miroku. Sango and Kagome were setting up blankets for the night. Everyone looked at Naomi when Inuyasha asked his question.

"This is Rin. She'll be staying with me for a while." Naomi focused on Inuyasha. "By the way, what did you say Naraku looked like?"

Inuyasha felt his hackles rise just hearing that name. "He's got black hair and red eyes. Normally you can't see that though, 'cause he's always hiding under a baboon pelt."

"I thought so." She walked over to the fire. "I don't suppose you gluttons left any food?"

"Right here, Naomi," Kagome said as she lifted a plate. "I saved you some."

"Thanks. Give it to Rin, please. She needs food."

Inuyasha looked at Rin. The little girl was hiding behind Naomi. He sighed and gave her a small smile. She was just a kid after all. Intimidating her just made him feel like a bully. "Come on over to the fire, kid."

"That's Inuyasha, Rin. Don't worry. He won't hurt you." Naomi performed the other introductions, and pretty soon Rin was sitting next to the fire eating food.

Rin didn't let Naomi out of her sight. That didn't bother the wolf hanyou very much. She was used to kids that attached themselves to her. Inuyasha hadn't been that different as a pup. It took him nearly a year after his mother's death to let Naomi out of his sight for longer than a few minutes. He'd been deathly afraid she would leave him. It helped that she loved children. It was a constant pain to know she'd never have one of her own. A human would never mate with a hanyou and demons always thought of the half breeds as beneath them. Naomi had learned to live with this face and gave up the dream of ever having pups of her own. To make up for that, she'd often spend time with other children.

Rin yawned and shivered.

"Come here, Rin," Naomi ordered gently. The little girl obeyed and snuggled up to Naomi. Warmth from Naomi seeped into Rin and the girl fell asleep within seconds.

Inuyasha watched as Naomi smiled softly and held the girl close. It never occurred to him, how much it hurt her to be alone. Naomi loved being surrounded by others, but as a hanyou that life had always eluded her. A hanyou was neither human nor demon, therefore rejected by both. A hanyou belong in neither world. A hanyou was alone. These were facts he'd learned the hard way during the last hundred years.

"Don't think about it so much, Inuyasha. I've accepted the things in my life that I can't change," Naomi stated as if reading his mind. Her sea green eyes focused on him. "One day, you'll do the same for your own life and you'll see. Life isn't so bad."

He couldn't think of anything to say, so he just looked into the fire. One by one the others began to settle down for the night. Inuyasha just kept staring into the fire and wondered. Maybe Naomi was right. Maybe, just maybe, life didn't have to be so bad.

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That's it for now. Hopefully, I didn't do too badly. Now before you go, you have to do something first. Move your mouse-pointer-thing down to the review botton and click. Then type out what you think of this fic so far. (the previous instructions do not apply to anyone who's only going to flame me. Either tell me you like it or give constructive criticism please.) See not too complicated. Bye bye until the next chapter.


	3. Meetings

Here's the next chapter. I'm so happy that there are people who like this story. As mentioned the original version was my very first fanfic. I'm kinda sad that the original vanished but at the same time I'm glad I get a chance to work on this one again. I've had more practice since I first wrote this one.

Koga and Kikyo make an apperance in this chapter. By the way, if you're a kikyo lover this is not a story for you. I suppose I should have mentioned that 2 chapters ago. Oops.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Haven't we covered that in say the last chapter or the one before that?

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Ch. 3: Meetings

To say that he was angry would have been an understatement. Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands and all around bad ass, watched the little imp groveling at his feet with cold, angry eyes. He'd returned to camp very early in the morning to find Jaken asleep and Rin gone. Now he had to search the entire forest for her scent hoping to locate her. There was no telling how long she'd been gone since he had left them in this clearing nearly two weeks ago.

"Jaken, be quiet. There is no excuse suitable," Sesshoumaru informed the imp in icy tones. "Now, find her."

"Yes, my lord." Jaken turned and got onto AhUn. The dragon took off allowing the imp to see the forest from above.

Sesshoumaru turned and began walking through the forest. His senses searching for any trace of Rin. He got sidetracked by the scent of Naraku. The evil hanyou and been in the area. The first traces of fear filled Sesshoumaru. Naraku had kidnapped Rin once. What was to stop him from doing it again? Or worse, killing her? Sesshoumaru followed Naraku's scent. It had to be at least a week old by now. That means that if the hanyou had Rin, he's had her for a week.

The trail ended next to a large tree. Sesshoumaru caught traces of Rin's scent mixed with traces of water lilies. Naraku's scent vanished here. Rin's sunshine scent followed the traces of water lilies through the forest to a hot spring. From there, he followed Rin to a clearing.

Sesshoumaru growled. Inuyasha's scent was here. Like Rin's and the water lilies, his half brother's scent was a week old. Now he knew where Rin was and he intended to get her back. Sesshoumaru turned and ran, following the familiar scent of the half breed. It was the following morning before he caught up to the group. If Rin was hurt, the hanyou would pay dearly.

-_With Naomi_-

Naomi stopped walking when she sensed something or someone coming. The energy felt familiar to her but she wasn't sure why. Whatever it was, it had very murderous intentions. Her eyes scanned the area around them. Inuyasha saw her uncork her waterskin and, knowing what that meant, prepared for a fight. The other's followed his lead. Rin saw what was going on and moved behind Naomi, clinging to her new friend.

The wolf hanyou reacted quickly and threw up an ice shield just as Sesshoumaru appeared in front of her. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. Naomi had to catch her breath when she saw him. Not only had he scared her, but she'd forgotten how attractive he was. He was currently gazing at her through cold, amber eyes that never failed to captivate her. His long, silver hair made her think of silk, and her fingers itched to touch it. Sesshoumaru's skin was pale, and he had a tall, lean build. She knew that he was very strong. He wore confidence like a second skin and his aura was filled with power. The scent of forest and male reached her, and she forced herself not to take a deep breath. He went a step beyond good looking and into perfection. At least, that was her opinion, and always had been. She was pretty sure any female with a different opinion was either blind or crazy.

It was Rin that pulled her out of her trance by shouting, "Lord Sesshoumaru."

Naomi glanced back at the little girl. Rin was smiling warmly and vibrating with excitement. "Well, I guess this explains who M'lord is," Naomi commented absently as she lowered the ice shield. She stepped aside so that Rin to go to Sesshoumaru.

"You mean to tell me that we've been sheltering Sesshoumaru's brat?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Inuyasha," Naomi said very pleasantly, "if you ever call Rin a brat again I'll hurt you very badly."

Inuyasha shuddered. Despite that very pleasant tone and the sunny smile, he knew Naomi was angry. She used that tone to keep the others from realizing just how angry she was. "Fine."

"How did Rin come to be in your care?" Sesshoumaru demanded in a calm, controlled voice.

Naomi explained the situation. She ended the story with, "And she wouldn't tell us who M'lord was so I kept her near by. This way she was safe from the baboon."

"You left out that detail," Inuyasha snapped out. "Why didn't you tell me that Naraku had been the demon that attacked the kid?"

"Because you would have ran off without thinking or letting me finish, Inuyasha. Naraku wasn't really there. It was a puppet." She turned to face him. "You wouldn't have found anything but frustration. Are you finished lecturing me now?"

He grumbled a little but nodded. Naomi turned her attention back to Sesshoumaru. "I've got to say, I'm surprised. Last I heard, you wouldn't let a human within a mile of your person."

Sesshoumaru said nothing. He had watched the exchanged between the wolf hanyou and Inuaysha with interest. Inuyasha rarely let anyone order him around or scold him. Yet here he was, letting Naomi do both.

"Who are you?" Sesshoumaru asked her.

"Naomi," she replied simply.

Sesshoumaru considered her for a moment then called, "Rin." The little girl ran over to him and stood next to him. Sesshoumaru turned and was about to leave. He paused and turned to Naomi. "You saved Rin."

Naomi blinked in surprise. "I...well..." She wasn't sure what she was suppose to say. She had, but it sounded too much like bragging to admit it to him. Usually that sort of thing didn't matter to her. Then again, her reaction to Sesshoumaru was anything but normal.

Rin came to her rescue. "She did, Lord Sesshoumaru. Naomi saved me and took care of me until you came. She even let me touch her ears. They're really soft."

The ears Rin just mentioned twitched impulsively as Naomi winced. She didn't think Sesshoumaru needed to know that last detail. Though he did look up at her ears, which twitched again in reaction. She really wished they would stop that and she almost covered them with her hands. The only thing that stopped her was that she'd have to explain why she was doing that.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Rin then back and Naomi. He seemed annoyed and uncomfortable with something, though Naomi had no idea what was bothering him. Sesshoumaru glanced at Rin then walked away from the group. The little girl smiled and walked over to take Naomi's hand.

Naomi smiled at Rin and let the girl drag her after Sesshoumaru. Over her shoulder, she called out, "I'll catch up, Inuyasha. Keep going without me."

She heard the hanyou complain but ignored him. Naomi was too curious about what the Lord of the West wanted from her to let Inuyasha's irritation bother her. Sesshoumaru led her and Rin to a small clearing where a two headed dragon and an imp waited. Now that she saw the imp, Naomi remembered where she'd heard the name Jaken before. In the rumors she'd heard about Sesshoumaru, Jaken was his servant. If she remembered correctly, Jaken shared his master's dislike of anything human. Though that didn't explain why Rin was with them.

The Demon Lord pulled something out of the bag on the dragon's back. Naomi blinked in surprise as he handed it to her. It was a small silver chain with a blue crescent moon hanging from it. The yokai energy coming from the necklace told her it wasn't just any pendant. This would allow Sesshoumaru to track her and hear her if she called his name. Now why would Mister High and Mighty give her, a lowly hanyou, this necklace? She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"You saved Rin," he stated as if that answered everything.

Since it didn't, she said, "Yeah? And?"

He gave her a look that told her she was lucky she'd saved Rin or he'd kill her. "I owe you a debt for that. This is so you can call me to collect that debt."

"Oh." Naomi put the necklace on and tucked it under her shirt. Some demon must have gotten a hold of her tongue because she couldn't stop herself from saying, "This must really irritate you. Being indebted to a hanyou would really mess with your image."

His eyes narrowed reminding her that just because he owed her didn't mean he liked her. "Careful, Hanyou."

"Yeah. Yeah." She waved off his warning then turned to leave. "I'd better catch up with Inuyasha."

Rin rushed up to her and grabbed Naomi's leg in a tight hug. With a smile, Naomi knelt to return the hug. She whispered to the little girl, "I'll see you later, Little One."

"Promise?" Rin asked.

"Promise." Naomi stood and gave Sesshoumaru a small bow. "Until next time, My Lord."

Sesshoumaru wanted to ask what her connection to his brother was but didn't. That would have been too demeaning. She was a hanyou and therefore not worth his interest...even if his curiosity disagreed with him. He watched as the hanyou walked away. There was something about the way she moved that seemed familiar though he couldn't put his claw on just what it was. He could tell that she'd been trained as a fighter and was probably very skilled. Her movements were almost as precise as his own and just as fluid. Sesshoumaru shook his head a little. He was thinking about this hanyou way too much. For now, he dismissed her as unimportant.

Naomi stopped just on the other side of the trees and placed a clawed hand over her heart. Her breath left her lungs in a whoosh as she calmed her body down. Sesshoumaru really should come with a warning sign. It would read: 'Warning. Hot demon lord with lots of power. Will cause females to melt at his feet.' He had to know the effect he had on the female body. His nose would tell him if nothing else. Yet he showed no reaction to this knowledge.

"Now I remember why I always steered clear of him since the last time I saw him," Naomi told herself as her body finally calmed down from being exposed to him.

The first and last time she'd seen Sesshoumaru was the day Lord InuTashio died. She'd known about the fight with the dragon demon. In fact, she'd seen the battle. Even her power hadn't been able to heal the injuries InuTashio had gotten enough to save his life. The Great Dog Demon was going to die. It was that day that InuTashio had asked her to watch over Inuyasha. That day she'd promised to protect InuTashio's sons – and yes that included Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru had come to speak with his father just seconds after she'd left InuTashio. Sesshoumaru hadn't seen her, but she'd seen him and could never get that image out of her head. Like his father, Sesshoumaru was someone worth looking at.

She quickly shook those thoughts out of her head. The attraction couldn't go anywhere, and it was purely physical. No need to worry about it. Right now, she needed to worry about catching up with Inuyasha. The dog hanyou still had issues with patients, and she needed to keep an eye on him until he got over that. That could take years but there was plenty of time. Inuyasha wasn't that old yet – only about two hundred years. The humans didn't seem to realize just how young Inuyasha was by demon standards. Sometimes she thought Inuyasha forgot that he was still young because he'd spent so much time with humans.

The wolf hanyou began to run, so she could catch up to the others. It took her nearly an hour to find them again. Inuyasha looked at her and titled his head in curiosity. Naomi shook her head at him. This was one thing she didn't want to tell Inuyasha about. He'd just get pointlessly mad. Besides, she wasn't sure she wanted him to know that Sesshoumaru owed her a favor just yet. Not until she decided what to do with that favor anyway.

The next day, Naomi met someone else and almost felt ashamed to call herself a wolf after that. They'd been eating lunch when a tornado swept into the clearing. When it cleared, a wolf demon stood there holding Kagome's hands. Inuyasha immediately growled and shouted, "Koga, get your filthy hands off Kagome."

"Why should I, Mutt?" Koga demanded with an arrogant tone.

Kagome merely let out a sigh and pulled her hands away from Koga. These fights were really getting exhausting. Why couldn't either Koga or Inuyasha consider the fact that she was perfectly capable of speaking for herself? Then again, Koga rarely listened to her when she told him to let her go.

Naomi stood and walked over to examine the wolf demon. Her ears were perked in interest, and her tail twitched with curiosity. Koga was distracted from his bickering with Inuyasha by the wolf hanyou that was now circling him.

She stopped in front of him and tilted her head. "So you're the leader of the southern wolf tribe. I'd heard about you but never expected to meet you so far from the Southern Lands."

Inuyasha growled again. "Don't tell me you're impressed with him too?"

She looked at him with an indulgent smile. "Please, Inuyasha. You are both pups to me. I'm merely curious since it's been a very long time since I've seen another wolf demon." Her eyes trailed back to Koga. "Not only that. Rumors of the wolf leader with two jewel shards have even reached my mountain compound."

"Who are you?" Koga asked in confusion. "You haven't been here before."

"But he's not very observant is he?" Naomi couldn't help the grin. "Came running up without examining your surroundings. That will get you killed."

Koga glared. "Watch it. You're just a hanyou."

"I could still kick your ass," she retorted as temper sparked in her eyes. She hated the high and mighty attitude most demons seemed to take with hanyous. "Jewel shards and all. Without weapons."

He growled and attacked. Kagome started to order Koga to stop but Inuyasha stopped her.

"Don't worry. Naomi can handle Koga," he told her with a smirk. Inuyasha almost felt sorry for the wolf demon. Almost.

Naomi stepped to the side, easily dodging Koga's punch. She grabbed his arm and flipped him over as if he weighed nothing at all. Koga slammed into the ground with a thud. The next thing he knew, Naomi's clawed fingers were at his neck. One flick of her wrist and he'd be dead. Her eyes met his as she said, "Told you." With that she stood back up and turned away.

"I guess you're not as interesting as I originally thought." Naomi looked at Inuyasha with disgust. "If you can't beat him, I'm really going to have to start training you again."

The dog hanyou winced. Naomi had trained him in basic fighting but he'd left her compound before the training was complete. It was one of the reasons she told him he wasn't ready to leave. He was never going to live that mistake down.

Koga looked at Naomi with new respect. Hey, he could admit when he'd been beaten...even if she was a hanyou. "You're strong for a hanyou."

She shot him a glare. "No. I'm just strong. Being a hanyou or not has nothing to do with it." Naomi sighed in resignation when she saw that Koga wasn't even listening. He'd turned his attention back to Kagome. "Men," she growled under her breath.

Inuyasha was getting possessive of Kagome again, meaning he and Koga were fighting again. Naomi finally just chuckled with a shake of her head. Sometimes, it was okay for them to be childish...sometimes. She sat and watched the show. Kagome handled herself well all things considered. She firmly told Koga that she wasn't his woman then turned around to tell Inuyasha to calm down. Naomi got the impression this was a normal occurrence because neither Miroku or Sango seemed impressed or surprised.

Finally, Koga left with a final order for Inuyasha to take care of 'his woman'. Inuyasha promptly shouted that he couldn't do that since he didn't know who Koga's woman was. He was talking to himself because Koga was already gone.

Naomi stood and said, "Well, I guess the show is over."

"Show? That wolf was being a pain," Inuyasha snapped out.

She grinned. "I know. But it was entertaining to watch, especially when you got all possessive. I've never seen you like that so it was interesting." Naomi was very happy to see Inuyasha's possessive side. It was a good sign that he was letting Kikyo go.

Inuyasha looked down and shuffled around in embarrassment. Naomi laughed and began walking again now that lunch was over. Miroku and Sango followed her with grins. Neither Kagome nor Inuyasha looked at each other as they fell into step behind their friends. The embarrassment was way too strong for both of them. Not only that, Kagome was afraid to think of what Naomi's comment meant. She couldn't afford to think that maybe Inuyasha cared about her after all, because then she would be doomed to a broken heart.

That night, Naomi trained in private while the others set up camp. In was an hour later before she returned and found the others asleep. Well, everyone but Inuyasha. He seemed to have vanished. She sniffed the air and listened carefully. The smell of death and dirt reached her nose making her gag a little. What in the world was that? Something moved above the trees. Naomi looked up and saw a soul collector.

Out of curiosity, she followed the snake-like creature. She noticed that the creature was going in the same direction as the smell of death. That didn't surprise her so much because it was a soul collector after all. The big question was who was it collecting souls for? She froze in her tracks when she saw Inuyasha with a woman that looked remarkably like Kagome, except for the eyes. Kagome's were a deep blue while this woman's were an almond brown.

Naomi tilted her head and examined the woman she knew had to be Kikyo. There was something about the once great miko that sent chills down Naomi's spine. Goosebumps rose on her skin, and she rubbed at her arms to warm herself. Her eyes narrowed as the words Inuyasha was saying reached her ears.

"Come on, Kikyo. Join us. Help me get Naraku," he was saying in an almost desperate plea.

"Your companions would not like that, Inuyasha," she disagreed without any emotion. "Besides, you have my reincarnation to help you."

Inuyasha took her hands in his. "We both know you're more skilled than Kagome, and the others would get use to you."

Naomi felt her temper spike a little but didn't move. She heard something behind her and Kagome's strange scent approached her. Naomi didn't bother looking over at the young miko. Her attention was on Kikyo, who was smirking in triumph.

"So you don't prefer the replica to the original," Kikyo stated more than said.

Inuyasha simply said, "I love you."

The smell of salt reached Naomi's nose. She looked over at the living miko. Tears were streaming down Kagome's face, and she'd covered her mouth with her hands. A plan formed in the wolf hanyou's mind as she looked at Kagome. Naomi turned Kagome around and gave her a gentle shove back towards camp. She whispered an order to pack and prepare to leave but that the others weren't coming. When Kagome gave her a confused look, Naomi simply whispered, "Trust me. Bring Shippo."

Kagome nodded in agreement as she left to obey Naomi's order. The wolf hanyou turned her attention to Inuyasha and Kikyo. She would wait until Kikyo left before giving Inuyasha a piece of her mind. The wait wasn't very long. Kikyo turned and walked away, leaving Inuyasha alone.

Inuyasha wasn't sure what hit him at first. One moment he'd been staring into the forest, the next he was smashing into a tree. He sat up and winced when he saw Naomi standing in front of him. She had her hands on her hips as she walked towards him with a glare. Inuyasha hadn't seen her this pissed in a very long time.

"What was that for?" he demanded as he wiped the blood from his lip.

"Because you're a jack ass," she snapped out with temper in every syllable. Naomi stalked forward and hit him in the head again. "How could you say those things to that clay pot?"

He stood up as his own temper rose to the occasion. "You don't even know her."

"I don't have to." Naomi sighed in a frustration. "Inuyasha, you never learn. Kikyo is dead. She can't come back. If you stick to her the way you are, you'll only end in tragedy. Is that really what you want?"

His ears flattened. "You know that's not what I want but I owe Kikyo everything."

"No you don't. What happened between you wasn't your fault." Naomi gave him a pointed glare as she added, "But what happens to Kagome if you keep this up will be."

"What? Nothing is going to happen to Kagome," Inuyasha argued. "I'll protect her."

"Who's protecting her from you?" Naomi demanded.

Inuyasha looked shocked. "She doesn't need protections from me. I would never hurt Kagome."

"You hurt her every time you see Kikyo. Each time you tell Kikyo 'I love you' a piece of Kagome's heart breaks apart." Naomi's voice was cold and her eyes gave him no sympathy as she shoved the truth into his face. "You tear her apart every time you give her a smile or act like you care and then turn around to offer everything to Kikyo. Kagome loves you, Inuyasha. One word from you can shatter her world. So you're wrong. She does need protection from you because you don't seem to care."

With each word she said, Inuyasha felt smaller and smaller. "I do care."

"Then act like it," Naomi snapped out. "Let one of them go."

"What do you mean 'let one of them go'?" Inuyasha demanded as he glared at her. He was almost afraid he already knew the answer to the question.

"I mean, either stop going to Kikyo or let Kagome find someone else to love," Naomi told him through clenched teeth.

"I'm not stopping Kagome from leaving."

Naomi's eyes widened and her voice held mock surprise, "Really? Then I must have imagined you getting all possessive and jealous when Koga was here earlier."

Inuyasha winced again. "Well...I..." He glared and looked away in irritation. "Fine. I don't care anymore. Kagome can do whatever she wants."

The wolf hanyou closed her eyes and shook her head. She'd expected this, but she'd still hoped he would prove her wrong. "I'm very disappointed, Inuyasha."

"Disappointed in what?"

"You." She turned and began to walk away. Over her shoulder she said, "Packmates should be more important than that."

Naomi left Inuyasha there in the forest and returned to camp. Kagome was packed and had Shippo in her arms. The others were still asleep. Naomi woke Sango and had a whispered conversation with the demon slayer. Once that was taken care of she turned to Kagome. With a gesture for Kagome to follow her, Naomi led the way into the forest again. She almost felt bad for what she was about to put Inuyasha through, but it had to be done. Inuyasha had to see just what Kagome was to him before he'd move on. To make that happen she'd just have to follow the old saying 'you don't know what you have until you lose it'. It was the only way to get his attention. Tomorrow would be the beginning of Inuyasha's wake up call.

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All done with this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. I'll get to work on the next chapter now. Don't forget to review.


	4. Collecting a Debt

I finally managed to update. Sorry for the long wait but I've been very busy with summer classes and now my fall semester has just started. This is not going to be an easy semester either. I'll do my best to get the updates to you asap.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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Ch. 4: Collecting a Debt**

Naomi led Kagome to a clearing several hours away from Inuyasha's camp. It was time to make a call. She pulled out the necklace Sesshoumaru had given her and whispered his name under her breath. There hadn't been time to tell Kagome what she had in mind, so it was best if she did before the miko realized who was coming. Naomi opened her eyes and looked over at Kagome.

"Now will you tell me what's going on?" Kagome asked. Shippo nodded in agreement.

Naomi nodded. They'd have time while they waited on him to get there. "I'm calling in a favor and teaching Inuyasha a lesson."

Kagome tilted her head. "What lesson?"

"That there are some things he can't change, such as the past." Naomi looked up at the moon and her eyes grew distant. "Sometimes, you can only accept the way things are and learn to live with it. Inuyasha never caught on to this and it frequently makes him miserable."

"Well, why are we leaving? Shouldn't you stay here to teach him?" Kagome asked her in confusion.

"No. Some lessons are learned the hard way. If I take something from him, something important that he can't have back until he lets go of something else, then maybe he'll see that the future holds more weight than the past." Naomi turned her attention back to Kagome. "If I make Inuyasha let Kikyo go, he might finally learn to let go of his past. To learn from where he'd been rather than dwell on it."

"So you're taking me away," Kagome stated with some disbelief. "That won't help. He cares about Kikyo more than he does me."

"Then this will change nothing for him and help you," Naomi replied with a shrug in her voice.

"How will this help, Momma?" Shippo asked her curiously. Kagome wanted to know the same thing.

"It'll give you space from him and still take care of your responsibility to the jewel. Time to think and decide what you want to do if he truly does love Kikyo." Naomi gave a small humorless smile. "You can't put your life on hold after all, Kagome. Eventually, if Inuyasha doesn't change, you'll have to let him go and move on." The hanyou looked up at the sky and said almost to herself. "One of you will be letting go of something. I hope it will be Inuyasha letting go of his guilt for his past."

Kagome looked down at the ground as she admitted that Naomi was right. If Inuyasha chose to keep holding onto Kikyo then Kagome couldn't hold on to him anymore. Maybe going along with Naomi was just what she needed. She'd get a definite answer about Inuyasha's feelings one way or another. Then she could decide what to do next.

She nodded. "Alright, Naomi. Let's do this your way."

"I intended to," the hanyou replied with a warm smile. "As you've noticed, I tend to do exactly what I want regardless of anything or anyone else."

"Who did you call by the way?" Kagome asked.

Before Naomi could answer, a cold voice said, "What do you want, Hanyou?"

Kagome let out a small squeak and her eyes widened as she looked over Naomi's shoulder. The wolf hanyou turned slowly with a wry smile as she asked, "Do you have to just pop out of nowhere, Lord Sesshoumaru? You could give someone a heart attack doing that."

He merely watched her with annoyance.

"Umm, Naomi, are you sure about this part of your plan?" Kagome asked her friend in a shaky voice. "Sesshoumaru doesn't exactly like us."

Naomi nodded with a grin. "Yes. I'm sure." Her eyes moved back to Sesshoumaru. "Lord Sesshoumaru owes me a debt."

He sighed in resignation. Sesshoumaru had known that he would hear from the hanyou again the moment he'd admitted to owing her. What would she ask for? Money? Power? Any of the other things that others wanted from him? He watched her and waited for what he believed was inevitably going to be a greedy and selfish request.

"I was hoping you wouldn't mind some company for a few weeks," Naomi told him with a serious face. "Kagome needs some time away from Inuyasha and I can't protect her alone. At least not while she's carrying jewel shards with her. I'm good but not that good."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Of all the things you could ask for, you want protection?"

She shook her head with a grin. "I want protection for Kagome. I can take care of myself."

He considered the hanyou for a moment. It wasn't like he could refuse her simple request. He owed her for saving Rin from Naraku, and the Lord of the West always repaid his debts when possible. Still, of all the things she could ask for, she chose something so simple. It was a bit of a shock to know that someone out there wasn't thinking of themselves all the time.

"As you wish," he agreed. Sesshoumaru almost asked why she wanted this but chose not to. That would give her too much importance. The last thing he wanted was to admit that he was at all curious about this wolf hanyou.

Kagome released the breath she'd been holding in relief. He hadn't killed them...yet. The miko could only hope that Naomi knew what she was doing. She looked at Sesshoumaru and had to wonder if maybe Naomi was a little on the crazy side.

Naomi smiled. "Thank you, my lord."

He turned and began walking back towards his camp. Naomi and Kagome, who was still carrying Shippo, followed him silently. The fox kit looked up at Kagome and knew that Naomi was right. His momma needed to get away from Inuyasha for a while. That way the dog hanyou would finally realize just how special Kagome was and treat her right. Then maybe his momma would be happy. That's all he wanted. Well, there was one other thing... "Umm, Naomi?"

The wolf hanyou glanced over her shoulder at Shippo with a smile. "What is it?"

"Can you teach me to fight? I mean basics. I've never learned any and I want to." Shippo looked down at the ground, a little nervous now. "You said you taught Inuyasha that so I hoped you could teach me."

"Of course, Shippo."

The fox kit looked up at her with a big smile. "Really?"

She nodded with amusement in her eyes. "Really."

Sesshoumaru looked at the hanyou with surprise in his eyes, even if it didn't show anywhere else. "You taught Inuyasha?"

Naomi looked up at him and sighed. "Yes and no. I was teaching him when he got it into his head that he knew it all and no longer needed training." The hanyou smiled a little. "Just to answer all the questions you're not going to ask, my lord. I raised Inuyasha after his mother's death. A little over a hundred years ago, he left to see the world thinking he was ready, despite me telling him he wasn't. You know the rest."

Yes, he knew the rest. His little brother had then fallen in love with a priestess named Kikyo which led to him being pinned to a tree for fifty years. This explained how Naomi could order Inuyasha around. Sesshoumaru knew the kind of power someone had when they'd raised you. To this day, his father was the only one who could ever order him around. Which translated to no one could, since his father was dead.

It still left him with only one question. Why did she raise Inuyasha? Did she know Izayoi? He almost asked. The questions were the on the tip of his tongue, but he looked away from her. No. He would not give her any importance. Not even curiosity. She was a hanyou, therefore was worth nothing. Some voice in his head reminded him that she was now traveling with him which meant she had worth. Sesshoumaru not only ignored that little voice, he shoved into a box which he then threw into some deep dark part of his mind to be forgotten.

The demon lord led them to the clearing where he'd left Rin. The little girl saw Naomi and ran forward shouting the hanyou's name. Naomi grinned and knelt down, catching Rin with ease. Rin began chattering with excitement as she saw that Kagome was there too. She was even happier when she met Shippo since the demon was a child just like she was. The two kids became friends almost instantly.

"Well, at least she's thrilled," Kagome said with a soft smile.

Naomi nodded in agreement. "They're both happy. Kids are easy to please." She turned her attention to Sesshoumaru. "So what now, my lord?"

Before he could answer, Shippo asked, "Why do you call him 'Lord', Naomi? Even Kagome doesn't do that and she's very polite."

"You didn't notice where my compound was did you?" Naomi asked with a slight shake of her head. Of course they didn't. Inuyasha had pushed them to the point of exhaustion. When they'd gotten to her compound, they'd been too tired to notice anything. "In the western lands. In fact, the entire mountain I live on is in Lord Sesshoumaru's lands."

Sesshoumaru glanced at her. There was only a few mountains that were entirely in his lands. Of those, only one of them had a compound on it. He'd never gone there personally because there was never any trouble in that area. Now that he knew who lived there, he was willing to bet she was the reason the area was so peaceful. He said nothing and began walking.

Naomi ushered Kagome and the children after him. The wolf hanyou kept quiet for the most part as they walked. Silence didn't really bother her all that much, since she'd lived alone for the last hundred years. One got used to silence after a while. In fact, she'd almost missed it during the last few weeks she'd spent with Inuyasha and his gang. They were a loud and crazy group. Naomi smiled a little. Still, they were a good group of kids.

The children chattered around them, playing and talking about their different experiences. Naomi sighed in contentment. Okay, so maybe she didn't miss silence so much. She'd missed the sounds children made. Inuyasha hadn't been this young in quite some time and she'd almost forgotten how cute he had been as a pup. She knew Sesshoumaru was keeping an eye on her. How long, she wondered, before he gave in to the urge to ask her questions? It would happen eventually. Sesshoumaru wasn't one to deny himself for long, even for pride.

As the excitement began to wear off, Shippo and Rin started yawning. It still wasn't quite morning and their sleep had been interrupted. When Rin stumbled, Naomi scooped her up. Rin mumbled something about not being sleeping seconds before falling asleep in the hanyou's arms. Naomi smiled in amusement. All children seemed to say that right before going to sleep.

Kagome lifted Shippo, who feel asleep before he had time to complain. The miko examined Naomi carefully before saying, "Why aren't you mated?"

Naomi looked at Kagome in surprise. "What?"

"Why aren't you mated?" Kagome repeated. Her eyes held the same confusion as her tone. "You're not exactly bad looking, you're strong and smart, you obviously want a family. So why don't you have one?"

The hanyou looked at the little girl she held in her arms. "Because I'm a hanyou."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Hanyous don't belong anywhere. You must have noticed it while traveling with Inuyasha." Naomi looked up to meet Kagome's eyes. "Humans fear us because of our demon abilities, and demons shun us because of our human blood. Who would take a hanyou as a mate?" When Kagome's eyes filled with sadness, Naomi shook her head. "Don't be sad, Kagome. Life isn't all bad."

"But you really want that family. I can see it," Kagome objected.

Naomi's tone was philosophical. "We don't always get what we want."

"This is what Inuyasha and you were talking about when you first found Rin, isn't it?" Kagome asked. She'd thought it had been strange when Naomi made a comment about accepting her life out of the blue like that. Now she understood.

"When I get the yen to spend time with children, I just go to one of the villages near my compound. They're usually happy to see me since I protect them from demons." Naomi smiled. "It helps that I've watched most of them grow up and even seen their parents grow up."

"How long have you lived on the compound?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Naomi thought about it. "Nearly all my life. I was maybe ten years old when I began living there, so it would have had to be about three hundred and ninety years now."

"You don't look that old," the miko commented in surprise.

"Most demons don't look their real age." The hanyou grinned. "Inuyasha is two hundred."

"What?" Kagome glared. "Then why does he have the maturity of a teenage human."

Naomi laughed. "Because he is a teenager by our standards."

"Oh..." Kagome thought about that for a moment then frowned. "Our aging difference could be a problem."

"Not really," Naomi disagreed with a shrug. "There are ways to extend your life to match his if you wish. Actually, a mating ritual would do that."

Sesshoumaru listened to the conversation as they walked. The hanyou seemed to be rather philosophical with her outlook on life. He'd known many, demons and humans, who couldn't be that accepting of life. It was a refreshing change to meet someone who didn't complain about the problems in their life...What was he thinking? He glared at nothing in particular. It was beneath him to give any hanyou a compliment.

He was starting to wonder if he would survive the time these girls were under his protection. The hanyou got under his skin way to easily for his comfort. Sesshoumaru glanced at her briefly. The hanyou was carrying Rin so carefully and there was a gentle look in her eyes every time she looked a the little girl. Sesshoumaru was well aware that Rin was important to him – he'd just never admit that out loud. To see this hanyou taking such care for the little girl softened something in him. He didn't like it. Hopefully, the hanyou and the miko would be gone before he lost his mind entirely.

_- With Inuyasha -_

He'd returned to camp to find both Naomi and Kagome gone. Inuyasha didn't worry about it too much at first. Maybe they'd gone for a walk or to take a bath. Or Naomi could have taken Kagome to the well so the miko could return home for a while. Then he saw that Shippo was gone too. Now the fear began to settle in. They wouldn't have waken the kit unless they had to. What would force them to wake Shippo but still let Miroku and Sango keep sleeping? His stomach began to turn into knots. They wouldn't have...

"Sango, Miroku," he snapped out, jerking the two out of sleep. "Where's Kagome, Naomi, and Shippo?"

"I know know," the monk yawned. "They were here when I went to sleep."

Sango sat up. "They left."

"What?" Inuyasha shouted.

"There's no need to shout. I can hear just fine, Inuyasha." Sango kept her eyes on Inuyasha. Her job was simple. Naomi had told her what had happened and that Inuyasha had to learn a hard lesson. Sango was to keep an eye on him and make sure he thought about what he was losing very carefully. "Naomi said that Kagome couldn't stay here anymore because she needed a break from you. Since Kagome will need help, Naomi went with her."

Inuyasha stared at Sango in shock for about three seconds before looking away. He crossed his arms and said with confidence, "They'll be back. Kagome always comes back."

"Yeah, but Kagome didn't have Naomi to support her before," Sango pointed out.

The hanyou merely shrugged as if that didn't make any difference, but fear kept nagging at a small portion of his mind. What if Sango was right? She wasn't. She couldn't be. Kagome always came back. This time wouldn't be any different.

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All done with this chapter. I'll get the next one up as soon as possible. Don't forget to let me know what you think.


	5. The Northern Lord

All finished. Finally. I thought I wouldn't get done until thanksgiving. Well, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the other characters from the manga. I don't actually know who does, but it's not me...which makes me sad.

Now on with the story.

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**Ch. 5: The Northern Lord**

Kagome didn't come back. In fact, he didn't even catch her scent once since she'd left with Naomi. Inuyasha was really starting to worry, but what could he do? His eyes travelled over to Sango, and he stopped walking. The demon slayer knew something, and he would find out just how much she knew.

"Where did they go?" he demanded.

Sango tilted her head just a little. "What do you mean?"

"Where did Naomi take Kagome?" he snapped out with impatience.

"I don't know." That much was true. "I just know that Naomi said you did something to hurt Kagome, so she was taking her away from you."

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head. He spun around so that no one could see the fear and regret in his eyes. "So what? It doesn't make any difference."

Sango smirked a little. "Sure it doesn't, Inuyasha. You only lost Kagome, but at least it wasn't Kikyo, right?"

He nearly snarled at her, but restrained himself only because snarling would prove that her sarcasm had hit a nerve. He would never let anyone, even a member of his pack, see his weaknesses. Kagome definitely qualified as a weakness, especially now that she was gone.

Inuyasha stalked onward and tried not to think about Kagome. It wasn't like she was in any danger. Naomi was with her, and if he knew anything about Naomi it was that she'd never put a friend in danger. He relaxed a little. Yeah. Kagome was safe and sound. An idea occurred to him. Naomi owned a compound hidden in the mountains within the western lands. Of course that's where they went. He smirked. They'd just wonder over towards the wolf hanyou's compound.

-_With Naomi and Kagome-_

Naomi was more than a little irritated with Sesshoumaru at the moment. She glared at him across the fire as he sat against a tree.

"What do you want, Hanyou?" he demanded cooly.

She growled. He did it again, she thought viciously. Not once in the last week had he used her name. He knew it. She knew he knew it because she told him what it was, and yet he still called her Hanyou. All she could think was what a pompous, arrogant, pain in the ass prick he was...Okay so she did occasionally think about how good looking he was, but that was only about 1% of the time. The rest of the day he was a prick. She was starting to seriously consider pounding his skull in and killing him.

"Hanyou," he said again, this time he was looking right at her.

She gave him her most innocent look. "Oh, you were talking to me? I assumed not since you didn't use my name. My bad."

His eyes narrowed. She'd been developing an attitude over the last week, and he was determined not to give in to her demands until she treated him with the respect due to him. "Why are you glaring at me, Hanyou?"

Naomi took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. When that didn't help calm her down, she decided to just give up and took her temper off it's leash. "Because you arrogant jerk, my name is not hanyou. It's not hey you. It Naomi. Say it with me. Na-o-mi. I even broke it into short syllables for you."

Now his eyes chilled into icy anger. "Watch yourself, Hanyou."

Naomi stood and stalked over to him. "My name is not Hanyou. Don't call me that because I won't answer. Instead, I'll pull that stick out of your ass and beat you with it."

He surged to his feet. "I'd like to see you try."

Kagome and the children had watched the exchange with interest and fear. When Sesshoumaru said that, all three of them backed up several feet to be sure they were a safe distance away. The miko moved so that she stood between the children and the brewing fight.

Sesshoumaru couldn't believe this hanyou would dare speak to him like this. Only his father had ever shouted at him and lived to tell about it. And those that had ever threatened him were no longer in the position to carry out their threats. The only reason he hadn't killed Naomi was because she was technically under his protection, but she was pushing things too far.

Naomi's hand brushed over her water flask, then her ears twitched. Her eyes darted over towards Kagome and the children. She stepped back and gave Sesshoumaru a slight begrudging bow. "My apologies, my lord." That was very hard for her choke out. "I lost my head for a second. Please forgive my temper."

Sesshoumaru didn't look convinced. He didn't know much about this hanyou, but he didn't know she didn't back down easily. His ears caught a sound and he turned to see Rin was watching in fear. Of course. The little girl loved them both, and Naomi didn't want Rin to witness them fighting because it would upset her. He looked at Naomi again, but this time without anger.

"Apology accepted," he replied simply and walked away.

Naomi let out a frustrated breath. She wanted to punch him, but that would hurt Rin. The hanyou looked at the little girl and smiled. "It's okay, Little One."

Rin ran over and hugged Naomi's leg. With a sigh, the hanyou sat against a tree and held Rin in her arms. The little girl drifted off into sleep.

Kagome joined them with Shippo. The miko was eyeing her friend carefully, but Naomi showed no signs of still being angry. "Are you okay?"

Naomi nodded. "I'm fine. It was just a little temper tantrum. That's all."

"You really hate being looked down on, don't you?"

"Everybody does. Just some hate it more. I'm one of them." Naomi gave a humorless smile. "I used to kill anyone who treated me like Sesshoumaru does."

"Why don't you now?" Kagome wondered. Inuyasha still did after all.

"I was young and foolish back then. One day I realized that it didn't matter how many people I killed. There would always be someone somewhere that thought of me as less than nothing." Naomi looked up at the stars. "That made killing pointless, and pointless killing is wrong and wasteful."

Kagome didn't ask anymore questions. Naomi looked exhausted and her eyes were still simmering with temper. It was obvious that Sesshoumaru and Naomi weren't going to get along until he stopped seeing her as worthless. Which probably meant they would never get along. Kagome shifted a little and closed her eyes. Maybe things would seem better in the morning.

They did seem better that morning. Kagome felt better than she had in weeks and over the next few days she just kept feeling better and better. All her anger and resentment towards Inuyasha and Kikyo seemed to just melt away. She missed him, but was no longer angry with him. She still loved him more than anything, but that love was no longer a source of pain. She suspected it had something to do with not seeing him with Kikyo or having him compare her to Kikyo.

A thought struck her as she finished eating her breakfast early one morning. This was the first time since meeting him that she'd gone somewhere where he couldn't come get her. What she found really ironic was that she was still in the Feudal Era with him. She always figured that if there was anywhere she could hide from Inuyasha it would be in her own time.

"How are you feeling?" Naomi asked her. It was the first time the wolf hanyou had done so since the first morning they'd woken up away from Inuyasha. At the time, Kagome hadn't been able to answer her.

The miko smiled a little. "I feel okay, actually. I miss him, but I understand that this space between us is what I need."

"Good. That means your heart is finally starting to heal."

Naomi leaned back and watched the two children play. Sesshoumaru was out on a patrol in this area and wouldn't be back until that evening. The hanyou found herself missing him, which she found both odd and unhealthy. She could only pray she wasn't getting attached to the demon lord. Nothing good could come of that, especially for her.

"When can I consider myself healed entirely?" Kagome wondered. "Will I ever stop feeling that twinge of pain every time I think about him?"

The hanyou thought about her father and Inu Tashio. Even now, centuries after she'd last seen her father and Inu Tashio's death her heart seemed to give a painful squeeze. "No. Losing the love of someone important to you, or giving that love up is probably like someone close to you dying. That kind of pain is for life, even if it's only in small amounts."

Kagome looked over at Naomi. "Who did you lose?"

"My father." The tone told the miko that Naomi wasn't going to discuss that particular topic any more.

Kagome didn't say anything more for a while as she thought about Naomi. The hanyou always came a cross as so strong and wise. To imagine her as a lonely child without a father was very difficult. Naomi could never be a victim...Or maybe it was because she'd grown up without a father that she wasn't a victim now?

"Who raised you?" Kagome asked in an attempt to turn the topic towards something other than Naomi's father. "After you lost your father, I mean."

Naomi hesitated. She never told anyone except Inuyasha the answer to that question. It was dangerous for her continued health if the wrong people ever found out...Or if Sesshoumaru heard. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kagome, she did. It was the children who were suddenly all ears. Not to mention that something that was never said couldn't be overheard.

"A demon found me and took care of my needs," Naomi finally said with a finality to her voice that told everyone not to ask questions about her childhood.

She stood and walked away from Kagome and the children. She needed to get rid of stress...a lot of stress. A little training would help, she thought as she uncorked the water skin. Naomi began her practice dance and didn't stop until she sensed Sesshoumaru coming closer.

Sesshoumaru wasn't alone when he reached camp. Standing next to Sesshoumaru was a large, well built demon with fire red hair and orange eyes. He had two red stripes on each cheek and a red star on his forehead. There was an air of confidence around him, and Naomi could practically taste the sizzle of his power in the air.

The wolf hanyou felt a trickle of fear work its way through her spine, but she forced herself to remain calm. With careful manipulation of the water vapor in the air, she masked the fear in her scent. It wouldn't do for either Demon Lord to notice her feelings right now.

She nodded her head to Sesshoumaru and the other demon to show respect, though she had none for the red-headed demon. Kagome did the same, probably following Naomi's lead. The two children ran to hide behind the miko and hanyou, since that was what they were told to do if a strange demon came near.

Rin peeked out from behind Naomi and chirped, "Hello, m'lord. Who is the stranger?"

Sesshoumaru gestured to the new demon. "This is Lord Akira of the Northern Lands. Lord Akira, my ward Rin."

"So this is the human child you've taken under your wing," Akira commented as he examined the little girl. "You are much like your father. He took in a young girl once too."

Sesshoumaru looked a little surprised. "I never heard of that."

"From what I understand, the girl was a hanyou whose mother had been killed." Akira shrugged. "I never met the girl so I can't say for sure why Inu Tashio took a liking to her. I don't even know where he kept her."

Naomi was very careful not to react to the information or seeing Akira. She knew he wouldn't recognize her. It had been three hundred and ninety years since they'd last seen each other after all. Her life had very little impact on him, but he had changed her world in just a few short minutes when she'd been ten years old. If not for Inu Tashio, Lord Akira would have ended her world rather than alter it.

"Who are these other two ladies?" Lord Akira asked, his cold eyes examining both Kagome and Naomi.

"Temporary guests," Sesshoumaru replied. "The hanyou is called Naomi. She saved my ward's life and so I owed her a debt. She collected by asking me to give protection to her friend, the miko Kagome."

"I see." Lord Akira sniffed with disgust as he looked at Naomi. "Well, we all must repair our debt. No matter how annoying."

Naomi's eyes sparked with temper, but for once she bit her tongue. She didn't want to draw anymore of Lord Akira's attention than necessary. Still, she clenched her fist so hard that her claws pierced her palm. The smell of blood reminded her to remain calm, so she took a deep breath, then released it slowly.

"Amazing self control," Akira commented. He'd smelled the blood as well.

"I try, Lord Akira," she replied. No way would she say 'my lord'. She'd rather have her tongue cut out or her throat slashed than say that to him. He wasn't her lord anyway. Sesshoumaru was.

"What is you wished to speak to me about," Sesshoumaru asked Akira to draw attention away from his guests.

In the last week he'd learned one thing about Naomi. She had absolutely no control over her temper and didn't care to develop any. The hanyou hadn't actually yelled at him, but any demon that they'd come across that was foolish enough to feel superior because she was only a hanyou suffered for their mistake. Lord Akira was well known for his dislike of anything with human blood, and Sesshoumaru didn't want to risk starting a fight between Naomi and Akira.

The western lord chose not to examine the reasons behind his concern for her safety and just put it off as duty. He did owe her a debt and she was currently in his pack, even if it was only temporary.

"Ah, yes." Akira turned his full attention to Sesshoumaru. "As you know, the demons have what we call a mating ball every hundred years, and each century a different demon lord is required to host the party. This century it is your turn to be the host."

Sesshoumaru nearly winced. He'd only been to the last two of these parties and he hated every second of them. "I have no place to host this party. My father's castle was destroyed in an earthquake a decade ago."

"Well, you'll have to come up with something. It's the western lord's turn," Akira insisted. "The south held it last century. I'm here to tell you that the mating ball is in three months and hundreds of demons have already agreed to attend."

The western lord held his breath so he wouldn't growl. There was no choice. He had to host the damn party. Once he was sure he had himself under control, he said, "I'll see to it."

"Good. Maybe this time you'll find a mate. You've avoided that during the last two parties."

If he had his way, he'd avoid it for the rest of his life. "Perhaps."

"Well, I've seen that you've received the message. We will see you in three months." With that Akira turned and walked away.

Naomi watched him carefully as he walked away. She'd never trust that demon lord. Never. He'd taken everything from her the day he'd murdered her mother.

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That's it for now. I'll get the next chapter up asap. Until then...


	6. Respect at Last

Sorry it's been so long, but I've been very busy. That and I've been suffering from writer's block...I think because I had a lot of other things on my mind. Hopefully I'll have more time to get updates to you guys now.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the computer I wrote this with.

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**Ch. 6: Respect at Last**

Sesshoumaru growled once Akira had left. It irritated that he would now have to find a suitable place for this gathering. He looked over at Naomi, who was being very quiet considering her temperament. Akira had been very blunt about his views about her, and usually she would explode when people treated her that way. He was surprised to see hatred in Naomi's eyes. He'd seen anger there, frustration, happiness, even dislike, but never hatred. Then she blinked and the emotion was gone, either hidden away or tamed out.

"What do we do now?" Kagome asked hesitantly, looking at Sesshoumaru. She added as an after thought, "My lord."

"I'll have to decide where this will take place at," he replied, looking away from Naomi.

"If it helps, you can use my compound," Naomi told him with a gesture towards her mountain. The very idea of letting Lord Akira and his family into her sanctuary made her hackles rise, but she wanted to help Sesshoumaru if she could. "It's isolated and there's plenty of room for the higher ranking guests."

He turned to her again. "I'll have to see it."

"Alright," she agreed easily. For some reason, knowing he would be on her compound made her very nervous. She shoved that aside for later examination. "It should only take two weeks to get there from here if we go straight there."

"I can't wait," Rin cheered. "Shippo said that your home was beautiful."

"I try," she said with her first smile since she'd seen Akira. She crouched in front of Rin. "My favorite part is my gardens. There's this old willow tree in the center surrounded by flowers and water."

"Really?"

"Really." Naomi grinned. "The tree enormous now and very old."

"I can't wait," the little girl said again, clapping her hands together.

Naomi laughed and lifted Rin into the air. Leave it to Rin to make her forget the anger and pain. "I love you, Little One."

"I know," Rin said through laughter.

Kagome found herself smiling and looked at Shippo, who was now sitting on her shoulder. The fox kit was grinning and seemed to vibrate with his own excitement. He would get to see other demons. Maybe some of them would be foxes like him. He hoped so. Naomi had begun to train him, but she was starting simple. Control was the big thing for her. Which was why he wasn't jumping up and down like Rin was. Every time he lost so much control that he wasn't paying attention to his surrounding, Naomi gave him a good bop on the head. He figured it was best if he mastered paying attention while calm before letting himself get all emotional.

Sesshoumaru said nothing, but something in him melted as he watched Naomi and Rin. With a low growl he turned and began walking towards the mountain. He felt them follow him, but still said nothing. It was starting to become obvious to him that Naomi was really getting to him. It was the little things, like not complaining about her life and seeking protection for a friend, that were getting under his skin. If he wasn't careful, he might actually begin to like her. The very idea had his blood turning cold. He would never fall pray to his father's mistake and care for someone beneath him. Rin was an exception because she was an innocent child. Naomi was not innocent nor was she a child.

Naomi watched the stiff line of his shoulders wondering if he was still irritated at having to host this gathering. He was growling periodically now. She didn't think he was even paying attention to his surroundings anymore - a rarity for Sesshoumaru. She'd never known him to not know everything that was going on around him.

"Naomi," Kagome whispered as she looked around.

Right about then, the hanyou felt something with a thirst for blood approaching. "Hold on."

She could feel it's desire for blood and carefully calculated it's path. Her eyes widened and she didn't think about what she did next. She raced forward as she uncorked the water skin at her waist. At her command, the water came out of the skin in the form a staff made of solid ice. She shoved Sesshoumaru out of the way as she brought up the staff to block the coming attack. Even with her reflexes, she wasn't quite fast enough. The charging bear demon rammed into her slamming her back through the forest. His eyes were a blood red and there was drool pouring from his jaws.

Naomi winced as she slammed into a tree and the bear's claws scrapped her sides when he managed to wiggle the around the staff. With a shift of her hands the ice staff became a shield. She grunted as she tried to shove him back. There was something not right about this demon. He was heavy and strong, and that was normal for a bear demon, but this was extreme. She could barely breathe because of the crushing weight. Now she knew what the middle of a sandwich felt like. Behind her the tree cracked. In front of her, she could see the bear trying to get at her with claws and teeth. If not for the shield, she would be dinner by now.

The shield cracked. Oh, god, she prayed. Please let the tree give before my shield. There was another cracking sound, and she felt sweat trickle down her face. Then the weight was gone and the bear was yanked away. She fell to her knees as she watched Lord Sesshoumaru dig a claw into the demon's back. Then Kagome was sitting next to her with a worried look.

"Naomi, are you alright?"

"Yeah." Naomi gasped for air. "Yeah. What is that bear on?"

"Jewel shard," Kagome answered. "That's why it took so long for Lord Sesshoumary to get here. I had to tell him about it and where it was."

Naomi vaguely remembered Kagome trying to tell her something just before the bear demon showed up. "You sensed it."

"Yes, but not soon enough apparently. You felt him too."

"Not the jewel. I can sense demon energy."

She forced herself to her feet. Sesshoumaru had jumped away from the bear demon, holding the jewel shard in his blood covered hand. Kagome jumped up to go purify the shard and add to her collection. Naomi turned her attention to the now bleeding to death demon. He was gasping for air, and she saw that his eyes were now a liquid brown.

"Did I kill anyone?" he managed, sounding afraid of the answer.

Naomi knelt next to him. "No." Sympathy welled up inside her. "What happened to you?"

"It was the jewel. Someone put it inside me and then I remember nothing but this burning need for blood." He closed his eyes. "I'm glad that I didn't kill anyone."

"Who did this to you?"

"He wore a baboon pelt."

"Naraku," Naomi growled.

She looked at the bear demon. No. Naraku would not win this time. She summoned all the water she had used as a shield. The water formed around her hand like a gel. She moved and placed her hand over his wounded shoulder where the jewel shard had been.

"Naomi, what are you doing?" Kagome demanded.

"Healing him. Be quiet. I need to concentrate." The water on her hands began to glow as she focused her powers. The damage was extensive, but she could fix it. She would fix it. "I need more water."

She heard Kagome scramble to do as she ordered. Her body began to shake with the effort she put into the healing process. She felt it as the bear's muscles began to mend and nerve ending were regenerated. Sweat trickled down her face and the bear demon was crying with the agony. She started holding him still as she healed. Then someone grabbed the bear demon to hold him still. Her eyes jerked up to see Sesshoumaru. His cold amber eyes met hers, and to her surprise, contained understanding.

Kagome came back with water. Naomi took it and continued the slow and exhausting process of healing. After what felt like hours, the wound was sealed shut. Naomi fell backwards, but before she could hit the ground, Sesshoumaru grabbed her. Kagome was sitting next to the bear, tending to his less serious injuries.

"He should live now," Naomi managed between breaths. She was so tired now.

"You need rest," Sesshoumaru told her gruffly.

"I know." She leaned into him. Exhaustion lowered her guard so she was barely aware of what was going on anymore. "The children?"

"They're fine. Rin was scared."

"I'm sorry for that." She shifted as he began walking slowly so she could keep leaning on him. His arm was like a iron band around her waist, supporting her so she wouldn't fall. "I didn't think. Just moved."

"Idiot. That demon could have killed you."

"You weren't ready for him. I was." Her eyes took on a stubborn look. "I wasn't about to let you get hurt."

"Why?"

"Because I made a promise."

They were in a clearing now where the two children and Jaken had set up a camp. Sesshoumaru lowered her to the ground carefully. Now he had to go get the bear demon. The creature was defenseless right now and he wouldn't let all of Naomi's healing go to waste by leaving him for dead.

He couldn't wrap his mind around what she'd done. Naomi had been willing to sacrifice herself for him. Something no one had been willing to do. Then she had saved the bear demon that had tried to kill her. There was just no end to Naomi's honor, and honor was something the Western Lord appreciated above all else. Sesshoumaru looked at the hanyou and sighed in resignation. She'd won. He now respected her more than he did most full blooded demons. So now she was one of his pack for life, and he wasn't sure he like that idea. Still, he wasn't one to dwell on things he couldn't change.

Sesshoumaru turned and made his way back to the area where the miko waited. Kagome was standing next to the bear demon with a bow in hand and an arrow ready. When she saw him, she relaxed and put the arrow back in her quiver. "Is Naomi alright, my lord?"

"Yes. She'll just need rest."

He reached down and lifted up the bear demon. This would be so much easer with both arms, he mentally growled. Outwardly, his expression didn't even twitch. Kagome followed him to the clearing and immediately began to tend to Naomi's wounds. The hanyou had fallen asleep and didn't even stir when Kagome poured something she called disinfectant onto the wounds. In fact, Naomi didn't wake until nearly noon the next day.

She stirred and sat up. Confused, she looked around trying to figure out just where she was. Rin and Shippo were playing a few yards away. Kagome was watching them, sitting next to the bear demon.

"You're awake."

She turned and saw Sesshoumaru standing behind her. "Hello, m'lord. Where are we?"

"Not that far from where you fought the bear. He woke a few hours ago and won't leave until he speaks with you."

"Do you mind if he stays?"

"No." He met her eyes and held out a hand. "Come, Naomi. The others were worried."

She stared at him. Had he actually used her name? Lord Sesshoumaru had just called her by name. She knew it was a peace offering and that he would never voice the change between them. That was fine with her. Naomi gave him a large smile and placed her hand in his. "Alright, Lord Sesshoumaru."

He pulled her to her feet. She dusted her self of thinking that maybe the two of them would finally call a truce. Slowly, because her muscles were stiff, she made her way over to Kagome and the bear demon. They looked up at her with identical looks of relief.

Before she could say anything, something with the force of battering ram slammed into her followed by another one. Because her muscles ached and her energy wasn't quite back to normal, Naomi stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud. Still she laughed as the two children held on tight babbling incoherently about how worried they'd been. She managed to sit up and convince Shippo that she was find. Rin however, refused to release her. Feeling indulgent, Naomi let the little girl hold on tight.

"I'm glad you're awake," Kagome said, trying not to laugh at the children's antics. "It's been nearly twenty-four hours since you passed out."

"I'm fine," Naomi reassured her friend. Her stomach rumbled. "Starving though. Healings always leave me needing food."

"I'll make some lunch then." Kagome stood. "Rin, why don't you help me."

Needing to do something to help Naomi feel better, Rin jumped at the chance. "Okay."

Naomi turned her attention to the bear demon. "What is your name anyway?"

"Hiroto," he supplied.

His brown eyes looked more tired than she felt. Must be the blood loss, she thought. One thing she couldn't do was replace blood...well, she couldn't bring back the dead either. Hiroto also looked more human than he had the day before. Yesterday his body had been coated in thick, brown fur and his snout long. Now he had only the animalistic traits of a normal demon with a humanoid form - clawed hands and sharpened canines. The monstrous look from yesterday must have been the tainted jewel's doing.

The bear shifted a little. "I must apologize to you. Because of my carelessness you were injured and forced to exhaust yourself to help me."

"It's alright," she assured him. "It wasn't your fault."

"I wish to repay you, since you saved my life twice."

"Twice?"

"The penalty for attacking a demon lord is usually death." He glanced back at Sesshoumaru then back at her. "Then you healed my wounds."

"Well, I don't need anything right now, but if Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't object, you can come with us. Maybe something will come up later. Besides, I'd like to keep an eye on your wound for a little while to make sure it stays healed. Sometimes, when I heal while tired like yesterday, the would can reopen."

"I'll speak with Lord Sesshoumaru then." He stood. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind someone to watch you three while he is on patrols."

She smiled. "Probably not providing you don't talk too much or question him."

"He has a right to his pride."

"I know, but it still annoys me." She looked over at Sesshoumaru. "But I think we've finally reached an understanding. A good aftereffect of your brief moment of insanity."

"Glad to help," he said dryly.

Naomi laughed and held out a hand. "My name is Naomi. It's nice to meet you Hiroto. Hopefully this is the beginning of a friendship."

He accepted her hand. "I think it is."

Sesshoumaru watched the interaction between Naomi and Hiroto without much interest. At least that's what he told himself. Despite being willing to accept Naomi into his pack now, he wasn't quite willing to accept that he could like her. It had taken him hours to convince himself that yesterday wasn't the beginning of an odd friendship between them. It was bad enough that he respected her, there was no way he would add to that by taking a liking to her of any kind. On that he was determined. He turned away from her and a voice in his head reminded him that he'd been just as determined not to respect her before yesterday. He growled and walk away to begin his patrol. Hopefully he would find some poor irritating demon to destroy so he could get rid of some of this frustration.

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That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed, and if you did feel free to let me know what you thought. Until the next chapter.


	7. Back Home

Finally managed to get this chapter up. Thanks for being so patient with me. Hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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**Ch. 7: Back Home**

Inuyasha stood in front of the demon guarding Naomi's compound in frustration. She'd chosen a demon named Jirou, a big dog demon that lived somewhere within the forest. Inuyasha remembered seeing Jirou a lot when he'd been a pup. If he remembered correctly, Naomi trusted no one more to watch her compound the few times she had to leave it. It had something to do with Jirou being able to grow anything and keep it healthy.

"I know she has to be here," Inuyasha snapped out.

"Look, pup." Jirou crossed his big arms. He was easily more than six feet tall and built like a tree trunk. He remembered how upset Naomi had been after Inuyasha had left and couldn't bring himself to think very highly of the pup right now because of it. "Use your nose. She's not here and hasn't been since you came back. What did you piss her off again?"

Inuyasha's years flattened when he felt the phantom pain of that last punch she'd given him. "It's not like pissing her off is difficult."

"But you seem to have a talent for it. I've never seen her more angry with anyone than she was with you the day you left. If you ask me, she should have thrown you to the wolves when you came back." Jirou growled a little when Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "You never did have any appreciation for what she did for you or for how much you could hurt her. That's always been your problem, pup. You never stop to think about how your actions will effect others."

Jirou turned away to go back into the compound. "She's not here and neither is your miko, so go away."

The hanyou sniffed a little and knew Jirou wasn't lying. He didn't catch a scent from either Naomi or Kagome. Only Jirou and the other demons living somewhere on the mountain. With one last growl he turned and stalked away. Where could they have gone? It was frustrating knowing that she should be here and wasn't. There really wasn't anywhere else for them to go except Kagome's time and Naomi couldn't go there and neither could Shippo.

Now the very real fear that Kagome really wouldn't come back exploded to life. He needed her. It was the first time he'd admitted that, even to himself, but he did. She gave him an acceptance no one else had ever offered him before. It soothed the loneliness and pain of being rejected by everyone else and gave him a reason to keep fighting. Naomi wouldn't taken that away, would she? He sighed. Yes she would if she thought he took it for granted. And he had. Boy had he taken Kagome for granted. Maybe that was an understatement. Was there a word for how badly he'd used her without giving anything in return? No wonder Naomi punched him so hard.

Not that any of this changed anything. He still owed Kikyo everything. It wasn't like he could just ignore the past and pretend in never happened. When it came to a choice between Kikyo and Kagome, he would still have to choose Kikyo. And that was Naomi's problem, he admitted. She believed he should choose Kagome, that the time traveling miko should have his loyalty before Kikyo. Well, she was wrong. Kikyo had to come first...didn't she? He glared. Of course she did. What did Naomi know about the situation anyway. She'd never even met Kikyo. He chose to ignore the fact that Naomi was both older and wiser than him, and that she was rarely wrong about such things.

Behind him, Miroku and Sango exchanged knowing glances as they made their way back down the mountain. Inuyasha had been steadily getting more withdrawn with each passing day. They wondered how long until he realized that Kagome was everything to him. How much longer before the hanyou noticed that though he could live without Kikyo, he couldn't make it without Kagome.

-With Naomi and Group-

They were off again after lunch. Sesshoumaru had agreed to let Hiroto come with them. He could understand the need to repay a debt after all. The bear demon proved himself to be a pleasant companion over the next few days. He rarely spoke and was very humble. Always he kept a watchful eye on the children and the miko.

As they journeyed towards Naomi's mountain, they only stopped at night and to eat lunch. Naomi knew she should probably be taking more rests than that because of the energy loss she'd suffered, but couldn't bring herself to mention that. She knew that she had finally earned some of Sesshoumaru's respect and was afraid she'd lose that if she admitted to any weakness. Why it mattered to her so much she'd never understand. Still, she couldn't deny that it did matter. Unlike Inuyasha, she wasn't into being in denial. Such emotions usually caused more problems than they solved, as Inuyasha could probably testify to by now.

They had just reached the base of her mountain. Now she was excited. Every tree and creature was familiar to her now. She knew this mountain better than anyone else and could walk through it blindfolded without getting lost. Taking a deep breath she whispered, "I'm home."

The forest around them seemed to respond with bird songs and rustling of leaves. Kagome looked around. "That was a little creepy."

"Why? It's just greeting me," Naomi said with a smile. "Me and this mountain are old friends. It watched me grow up, so there's a fondness there."

"Mountains don't have thoughts," Shippo argued, though he looked around nervously.

Naomi laughed. "Oh, Shippo, if you only knew. I think the mountains like to laugh at us all. Even demons."

"Why?" Rin asked curiously.

"Because compared to them, we are but a momentary irritation or amusement. They are eternal." Naomi looked around. "We puff ourselves up so much for one reason or another and yet this mountain was here before us and will probably still be here long after we're gone."

Kagome thought about her geography lessons in her time and couldn't help but realize Naomi was right. This mountain chain was still there in her time. "What a humbling thought."

"I know," Naomi agreed. "I think that's why my master settled me here. Someone he raised had to be humble."

Naomi suddenly felt the need to run. Since she rarely denied herself such simple pleasures, she raced forward. Her footsteps were quick and sure. The hair rushed through her hair and tickled her cheeks. Her eyes danced with happiness. This was where she belong. This was where the world always made sense. This mountain would always welcome and accept her regardless of her past or blood.

She skidded to a halt as a familiar scent reached her and she growled. What was Inuyasha doing here? She took another sniff. No, he wasn't here now. He'd been here though. Yesterday maybe. Which would mean he was still on the mountain. Probably weren't too far down yet. She sniffed the air again and relaxed. They were on the other side right now. Good. She didn't want Inuyasha to know where Kagome was just yet.

She waited right there for the others to catch up. Kagome tilted her head. "What was that?"

"I just wanted to run." Naomi shrugged. "I love this mountain."

"I can see that." Kagome smiled a little. "It's a little sad for me though. I was here with Inuyasha last."

Naomi debated then rejected the idea of telling Kagome that Inuyasha had been here. The miko might weaken and go back to him too soon if she knew just how close he was. The wolf hanyou looked at Shippo, who was sniffing the air. He met her gaze and understood. For now, they would keep it to themselves.

They just came within sight of the gate to her compound when Jirou opened them up with a big smile. "Welcome back, Naomi."

"Hello, Jirou. I trust things went well while I was gone."

"Other than a brief visit from a hanyou, yes."

She nodded. "I caught the scent." Her eyes drifted to Kagome, who was talking with Shippo. "Let's just keep that between us for now."

He looked at the miko. He'd caught a glimpse of her when Inuyasha had been making his way to Naomi's compound the first time. She looked much happier right now than she had then. He nodded in agreement. "Yes, ma'am."

Naomi remembered her manners and gestured to Sesshoumaru. "Jirou, this is Lord Sesshoumaru. My lord, this is one of the inhabitants of my mountain, Jirou. He was kind enough to watch over my compound while I was gone."

Jirou bowed with respect. Not only was Sesshoumaru the Western Lord, but he was also a dog demon like himself. "My lord, welcome."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head but said nothing.

Naomi placed a hand on the bear demon's shoulder. "This is Hiroto. He'll be staying with me for a while. The miko is Kagome," she pointed at Kagome, "and with her are Shippo the fox kit, and Rin."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Jirou greeted while giving Naomi a curious look. It was rare for her to welcome so many people to her sanctuary. Naomi may love people, but she hated having them in what she considered her space in large numbers.

"The mating ball is being hosted by Lord Sesshoumaru this time, and he needed a place to hold it. I've offered him the use of the compound," she explained.

"Well, that's going to be interesting." Jirou looked out over the land surrounding the mountains. "Do you want me to spread the word?"

"Yes please. This way everyone is warned about the influx of demons coming this way. Thankfully, they're not allowed to cause any trouble while here for the ball." Naomi stepped through the gates. "If you don't mind, let the hanyous and humans know first. I want to make sure they are prepared. The demons should be fine."

"Of course." With one last bow, Jirou raced off with amazing speed to tell everyone of Naomi's return and the coming ball.

She turned to Sesshoumaru. "Please, come in. I'll show you to rooms and then give you a tour." She glanced over to Kagome. "And I have a present for you."

"For me?"

Naomi nodded. "But first the tour."

Sesshoumaru had to admit, the compound was amazing. Naomi had imprinted her personality on nearly every room, usually with calm colors or breathtaking paintings. He noted that she had a thing for dog demons as that was a common theme in many rooms. The last thing she showed him were the gardens. They were even more spectacular than the rest of her compound. True to her word, a large willow grew in the center. Sesshoumaru sense a great deal of patience and wisdom from the old tree that seemed to bring a calming presence to the rest of the garden.

"I have one request, my Lord," Naomi said hesitantly. She wouldn't meet his eyes now, keeping them on the tree instead. "I know how demons can be when they are competing for mates. The fighting is inevitable and I accept that."

"But?" he asked, sensing this was very important to her.

"They can destroy the house for all I care." She gave a small chuckle as she said, Inuyasha certainly did enough damage growing up here for an army of demons." Naomi looked up at him finally, and there was a plea in her eyes. "But this tree, the willow, it had special meaning to me and is the one thing here that cannot be replaced. In a way, it saved my life. Please, don't let anything happen to it."

Kagome remembered the story Naomi had told her about the willow. She looked up at it. Much like the sacred tree near the bone eaters well, the willow had a presence. Perhaps it was a sacred tree as well. It had given Naomi a reason to live after all. If that wasn't something that qualified for making it sacred, she didn't know what was.

"Nothing will happen to your tree," Sesshoumaru promised. She was part of his pack now, making it his job to take care of such things. He told himself that was his only reason for agreeing. It had nothing to do with the complex feelings Naomi evoked in him.

She smiled, relaxing. If Sesshoumaru gave his word then everything would alright. "Thank you."

With that taken care of, Naomi turned to Kagome. "Now for your present. Come with me."

Curious, Kagome followed Naomi to the edge of the compound where a large building stood. Next to the building were targets hanging on the compound wall.

"This is my training area," Naomi explained. "I work out here and keep in practice with my fighting skills."

"How is this my present?" Kagome asked, confused. "This is more for Shippo or even Sesshoumaru. Not me. I'm not a warrior."

"But you want to improve your archery skills. Inuyasha told me that what you know of archery, you learned on your own." Naomi gestured towards the targets. "I learned archery during my own training. Granted, I'm not that great at it myself, but I'm better than you for the moment. I think once I teach you the basics, you'll improve much more rapidly."

Kagome looked at Naomi with hope. "You really think I can get better?"

"Of course. With a little practice, you'll probably be better than most."

"How do you know?"

"I've seen you shoot. You're not bad for someone who wasn't taught. Imagine what you could do with a teacher." Naomi smiled. "You've got the talent to be great if you want to be."

Kagome wanted nothing more. Because she was at a loss for words, she hugged Naomi tightly. Naomi had to step back to keep her balance, her eyes widening in surprise. She smiled and patted the miko's shoulder.

"You're welcome," she said in perfect understanding. No one liked being the weak link.

Hiroto walked up to them two. "I am an accomplished archer, Lady Naomi. I can teach the miko."

"That would be perfect." Naomi rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. "To be honest. I only know the basics of archery. Close combat is really my specialty. Only to be expected since my teacher was."

"Then why did he teach you archery at all?"

"Because he believed that one should have the basics in every fighting style. That allows one to find the weaknesses and strengths of every fighting method. Not only that, it leave one more options in a fight." She smiled grimly. "There were a few times when I made use of the little archery I know to defend someone."

"Naomi," Rin called out happily. "This place in wonderful. Can I see more of the mountain?"

Naomi smiled warmly. "I'll be right there, Rin." She looked to Hiroto. "I'll leave Kagome in your capable hands then?"

He bowed. "I'll teach her everything I know."

"I'll be back for dinner. I'm sure Lord Sesshoumaru will tell me that this place will be just fine for the party thing, so we'll be staying here for a while." She gestured to include the entire mountain. "Consider this your home for now and make yourself comfortable."

"Naomi," Rin called again.

"Coming." Naomi raced off to show Rin her mountain.

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That's it for now. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.


	8. Strength is Weakness

Yay! I actually finished this chapter in less than a week. I'm so happy right now. I thought I was blocked. I guess it was just the other stuff I'm trying to get done right now. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: oops. Almost forgot this part. I could only own Inuyasha in my dreams. Since this is reality, i obviously own nothing.

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**Ch. 8: Strength is Weakness**

_Her mother stood between her and the red-headed demon lord. The little girl couldn't understand what was going on. The red-headed demon seemed mad about something and Momma was afraid. Momma shouted something about keeping it a secret, though the little girl didn't know what Momma was talking about. All she knew was that the demon didn't seem satisfied._

_"You won't have to keep it a secret because you won't be around to tell anyone," he said in a calm, cold voice that she'd never forget._

_"Just leave Naomi alone," Momma begged. "Please, leave her alone."_

_"I'm afraid I can't do that." He raised a claw as he took a step towards them._

_Momma spun around and shoved the little girl shouting, "Run, Naomi."_

_Naomi didn't even think of disobeying. She glanced over her shoulder as she hurried away from the man who scared her mother, then skidded to a stop. Her eyes widened in horror. Her mother was laying on the ground motionless. A red pool of blood was forming around her lifeless body. The demon stood next to the body, his claw dripping with blood. His orange eyes looked at her._

Naomi jerked out of sleep with a gasp. Her eyes darted around the room. She was still safe in her home, in her room. With a humorless chuckle, she placed a hand on her sweating forehead. Another nightmare. It was always the same one too. She was really getting tired of it.

Because she was hot now, she threw off the covers and got dressed. A dull throb was just behind her left eye now. What she wouldn't give to be able to heal herself. She'd just have to wait on her demon blood to kick in and get rid of the headache. With deliberate steps, she made her way to the willow. It's where she always went when she had a nightmare. The tree always had a soothing affect.

Once she sat on the bench, the goosebumps on her skin went away, and she was finally able to relax. The night air cooled her warm skin and slowly her shivering stopped. "I really get tired of having the same nightmare," she told the willow conversationally. "I know why I'm having it now too. In just a few weeks the lords will be arriving for the mating festival."

Over the last two months, she and many of the demons living in the area helped Sesshoumaru prepare the compound for the upcoming mating festival. Next week, demons from all over would begin to arrive in anticipation of the upcoming festivities.

They would set up camp all over her mountain, with the exception of the lords and their families. Those with rank would stay in guest room within her compound. The only rule for everyone was that they were not to cause problems for the human villages or hanyous in the area. On that point Naomi stood firm even against a lord. Her mountain was a sanctuary for anyone with no other place to go. She wanted to stay that way no matter what was going on or how many demons were around.

She leaned her head against the tree trunk. "I wish this were easier, but my life was never meant to be easy. Was it my old friend?" Her eyes began to sting. With a growl she rubbed at them. "Damn it, not now. I can't afford to be weak now."

"You never seem to take the time to be weak."

She jumped and looked to see Jirou standing just on the edge of the willow's little island. He probably smelled her fear from the nightmare. As long as she could remember, he'd always come on bad nights like this. She had a suspicion that Lord Inutashio had asked him to watch out for her when he wasn't there. Jirou was an old demon, though he had been a few decades younger than Lord Inutashio. He'd been very close to an older brother for her. He and Inutashio had been her only family for years. Then Inuyasha had come into her life, becoming another brother.

"I can never afford to be weak," she replied with an ironic smile. "There's always something I should be doing that involved being strong."

"But if you don't take the time to be weak, you'll fall to pieces one day, Naomi." Jirou sat next to her. "How long can you keep this up? Especially with him coming here."

She didn't need to know who Jirou was talking about. The Northern Lord was coming. Her hands clenched into fists. "I won't let him win, Jirou. He won't beat me. I will stay strong. I will not let myself crumble because of him. I will be everything he thought I couldn't be." Her eyes burned with determination. "He won't take my pride from me too."

"It's not your pride I'm worried about," Jirou snapped. "I'm worried about your safety."

"Oh, he doesn't even know who I am anymore," she replied with a wave of her hand. "I saw him the day he told Lord Sesshoumaru that he had to hold the upcoming mating festival. There was't even a flicker of recognition."

"I hope you're right."

She stood and stretched out sore muscles. "I think I'm going to workout until breakfast time."

Understanding that she was done discussing her past and the nightmares it brought her, Jirou nodded. He wanted to push her a little more to be careful, but didn't waste his breath. Only Lord Inutashio had ever been able to push Naomi when she decided she was done talking. In that way, she was just like Sesshoumaru. Jirou sighed. It was times like this he really missed the old Dog General. No one could control his children like Lord Inutashio.

Then there was Naomi. Stubborn, troubled, and softhearted Naomi. He wished someone could come along to help her through the hard parts of life. It would have to be someone who didn't take no for an option. Naomi didn't like leaning on others, so she'd need to be forced into it at times. Somewhere, someone was capable of taking care of her. All he could do was hope he came along before she exhausted herself taking care of everyone else.

Naomi had lied. She didn't like to do that, but Jirou would worry if he knew where she was really going. As much as she appreciated having someone who cared enough to worry, it annoyed her sometimes. Today being one of those times. Knowing that Lord Akira would be coming was enough to handle right now.

She stepped onto a stone path that led to a corner of the compound that people rarely saw. Sitting in the corner was a large tombstone with the name Kimiko carved into it. A grave and memorial to the woman who died saving her life. Her mother's resting place. Naomi's hands clenched into angry and guilty fists. No matter what she did, she couldn't let it go. The memories or the pain of that day. It wasn't until later that she'd found out that the red-haired demon who'd taken her mother's life had been Lord Akito and that he was her father.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, as she always did when she visited this grave.

She'd dug it herself and refused all help, even Lord Inutashio's. He had stood aside and watched her dig, a ten year old girl who'd lost her entire world in an instant. It was just hours later that he planted the willow tree and told her her job was to take care of it, because if she didn't, the tree would die. The sly old dog demon had known if he hadn't given her that reason to keep going, she wouldn't have.

"I wonder how come all I needed was that small simple reason to live," she mused. It had been a small insignificant reason after all. One tree really wasn't that important, but that day the tree became the center of her life. "Maybe I didn't really want to die, but just thought I did. So I grab hold of the reason he gave me to keep going through the pain and guilt."

She fell silent, just staring at the stone. She wasn't sure how long she stood there before the sun began to rise. Time ceased to matter to her here. She might have stayed for longer it hadn't been for the small hand that took hers. Naomi glanced down in surprise. Rin was there, holding her hand and looking so sad and afraid.

"Why are you crying?" Rin demanded, concern in every syllable. Like everyone else, she had a vision of Naomi that never cried. To her, the wolf hanyou couldn't be hurt in any way. She viewed Lord Sesshoumaru the same way. Because of this, it terrified her to see one of them hurt or upset in any way.

Naomi reached up and touched her face. Sure enough, there were tears on her cheeks. "I..." With an annoyed sigh, she dashed the tears away. "I'm sorry, Little One. This is just a sad place for me."

"Then don't come here."

"I have to. This is my mother's grave." Naomi looked at the stone. "I buried her myself when I wasn't much older than you."

"Oh." Rin looked at the stone too. She was learning to read so she managed to make out the name. "Kimiko," she said slowly as if trying out each syllable.

"Yes. That was her name."

"How did she die?"

"A demon murdered her."

Rin squeezed Naomi's hand. "Bandits killed my parents."

"I know."

The little girl wrapped her arms around Naomi in a tight hug. "It's okay to be sad, Naomi. Everyone is sad sometimes."

That helped soothe more than the willow or Jirou ever had. Naomi knelt down to return the hug. Silent tears fell faster, but she wasn't as annoyed with them now. Maybe because Rin, despite being so young, understood what Naomi felt. They'd both lost their parents violently. The old saying was that like recognized and understood like.

"Thank you," Naomi said simply. There was nothing else to say.

In the shadows, Sesshoumaru watched. He had followed Rin, wanting to be sure she didn't get lost. The little girl had been determined to find Naomi first thing because the hanyou had promised to teach Rin to swim. He'd helped Rin trace Naomi's scent to this area, but chose to stay hidden himself because he'd smelt the tears. Hearing her story, he couldn't help the brief moment of sympathy. Which he cut off immediately. She was nothing to him. There was no reason to sympathize with her.

He heard Naomi stand up. The smell of sadness had faded into a dim memory. He wondered if she was really okay, or if she'd merely buried the feelings.

"Come on, Little One. Let's go get breakfast. Then I'll teach you to swim like I promised."

He heard Rin clap her hands with excitement. "I can't wait. Let's go."

The two disappeared down the path. He caught a look at Naomi's face and saw that her eyes still seemed sad despite her smile. So she was burying the pain. Was that what she always did? Did she spend each day fighting through whatever memory plagued her? And why in the hell did he care at all?

"Lord Sesshoumaru, what are you doing out here? That is if you don't mind my asking."

He glanced back at the demon called Jirou. "My ward was wondering around."

Understanding, Jirou smiled. "I can say from experience that keeping track of an active little girl can be tiresome. You do well, my lord."

"You raised Naomi?"

"No." He frowned a little. Jirou had known that Lord Inutashio hadn't informed his family about Naomi for her own safety, but he hadn't expected Naomi to keep it a secret. Then again, she was trying to avoid sharing confidences with Sesshoumaru. "The man who raised her died nearly two centuries ago."

"So both of her parents are dead?" Sesshoumaru wasn't sure why he was so curious, but he was tired of not having the answers to his questions.

"No, my lord," Jirou said with a shake of his head. "The man who raised her was not her father."

Jirou was careful not to say any names. Things would be bad for Naomi if anyone found out about her origins. Then he realized why she hadn't told anyone who'd raised her. Her father had seen Lord Inutashio take her away after all. If word got out that a hanyou had been raised by him, her father would know immediately who she was.

"What happened to her father then?" Sesshoumaru asked feeling frustrated with the lack of information.

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I can't talk too much about that. For Naomi's safety, we don't ever speak of her father out loud or who raised her."

Well that answered something. She was a hanyou so her demon father hadn't been happy with her birth for whatever reason. In an attempt to erase his mistake, he'd killed Naomi's mother and now wanted to kill the girl. Why did that make him angry?

"My lord, you should know that Naomi doesn't like anyone to come over here. It's even more sacred to her than the willow tree because of the grave." Jirou gestured back towards the rest of the compound. "If you don't mind, may we talk away from here."

Feeling obliging because he still wanted more answers, Sesshoumaru began walking away from the grave.

Jirou was silent for a moment then took a gamble that the son would have some of his father in him. "My lord, I know that you don't care for hanyous, but I think you should understand Naomi."

"Why?"

"Because for the moment, you are pack."

Jirou's simple reply summed it up in way Sesshoumaru couldn't argue with. He was right. Naomi was a part of his pack...for now. With obvious reluctance, he said, "Fine. Tell me about Naomi."

"She's strong, but that is also her greatest weakness."

"Excuse me?"

"With a background like her, full of tragedy and death, one can't be strong all the time. Never in my life have I seen her release the pain I know she's carrying. After her mother's death, she was angry and sad, but she didn't cry. She didn't cry when she discovered her father hated her enough to kill her. Naomi didn't even cry when the man who raised her died." Jirou stopped to face his lord. "Every once in a while, she shed a few tears, but it's not nearly enough. If she doesn't learn to let go and lean on someone, Naomi will shatter like glass one day."

Sesshoumaru had never though of strength as a weakness, but he could understand what Jirou was trying to say. "That's her choice isn't it."

"Yes, but..." Jirou racked clawed fingers through his hair. "That girl has problems of her own, but she's always taking on other people's troubles. Like your brother's and the miko. Even your young ward Rin, who wanted a mother figure."

Even himself, Sesshoumaru realized. Hadn't she allowed him to use her compound for the mating ceremony and then saved him from injury when Hiroto had attacked?

"Naomi is a lot of things, Lord Sesshoumaru. Strong, smart, wise, kind, and loving. But all things should be in moderation, even strength." Jirou grinned a little. "Her temper tends to get her into trouble too."

Sesshoumaru nearly smirked at that, remembering how Naomi had yelled at him once for not using her name. "And what is it you want me to do, Jirou?"

"I don't know, my lord, but I think that if anyone can force Naomi into anything, it will be you."

"Why do you say that?"

"She has respect for you that she doesn't give to many, and..." He hesitated, unsure of giving away too much. "...and she had brought you into her pack as well."

"Aren't you in her pack?"

"Yes, but she is the pack leader. It would take someone who is either equal or stronger than she is to order her around." Jirou gave a half hearted chuckle. "That girl has been stronger than me since she was a hundred years old."

Sessoumaru raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was young for a demon or hanyou, half Inuyasha's age now. To be able to best a demon of Jirou's strength so young was a feat indeed. His already grudging respect for Naomi grew a little. He hated that every time he turned around he was giving her more and more. What was next? Actually enjoying her company? He shuddered at the very idea.

"I think you should look for help in someone else. You're right in that I don't care for hanyous. Even ones that I have a margin of respect for."

Sesshoumaru turned and walked away. He found himself standing at the base of the willow. Naomi was there with the miko and both children. They were all standing in the creek teaching Rin how to swim. Pride swelled as he saw how quickly his ward learned. Rin saw him and waved cheerfully.

"My lord, did you see? I can swim now."

He nodded, his face impassive. His eyes caught Naomi's and held. She was giving him a knowing smile, as if aware of how much pride he had in Rin's quick mind.

"Naomi, did I do good?" Rin asked, her voice full of happiness.

"Of course you did, Little One."

Sesshoumaru had a brief memory flash of his father kneeling in front of a child from a village near the castle. The little boy had tripped and scuffed his knee. Inutashio had a soft spot for children, a thing he'd passed to his oldest son. The great dog demon and knelt down and shushed the boys crying with gentle words meant to soothe.

"It's alright, Little One. You'll be alright. Let's get you to your mother so she can clean it up for you, okay?" Inutashio had said with a soft smile.

Sesshoumaru stared at Naomi in disbelief. No way. She couldn't have been the girl Akira had told him about. But...It would explain so much. The way she moved was so familiar because his father had taught her how to fight, meaning her movements were similar to his own. She'd been the one to raise Inuyasha after Izayoi's death because his father had asked her to watch out for the dog hanyou. Then there was why Jirou was so sure he could do something for Naomi. The same man had raised them both after all.

Naomi saw the realization in his eyes and knew things were about to get very complicated.

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That's it for this chapter. I'll get the next one up asap. In the mean time feel free to tell me what you thought of this one.


	9. Conversations

Okay, so sorry it took so long to get this up. A special sorry to BleedinLuva1123, since the messages made eagerness for the next chapter very obvious. See told ya I'd get this chapter up soon. :)

See I'm working on a story of my own creation from characters to world to plot and it's very time consuming. But I owed it to you guys to finish this one so I'm putting in some more time on it (especially since I hate it when someone starts a fanfic I like and then never finishes it, so I don't want to do that to someone else if I can help it).

Anyways, enjoy. Wait. Almost forgot a step...

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, only Naomi and any other OCs (can't forget this though I would love to). Now you can enjoy the story.

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**Ch. 9: Conversations**

Sesshoumaru spun around and stalked away. Naomi excused herself from the others to rush after him. "Lord Sesshoumaru!"

He didn't stop, didn't even pause. He couldn't believe this. First his father mates with a human, then to make things worse, he takes in a hanyou child. Was there no end to his father's embarrassments? When he felt Naomi's hand on his arm, he spun around with a snarl. He managed to keep enough control not to attack her but it was a near thing.

Her eyes were narrowed with temper. "Is it that bad that your father raised me?"

"Yes. My father is a constant embarrassment to me."

"You're a bastard," she snapped out. Naomi saw nothing but red as her body began to shake with anger. "Your father was the best man in the world and you should consider yourself lucky to share his blood. In my opinion, you don't deserve to have that much right now."

"How can I be proud when he mated with a human woman then took in a hanyou child?" he snapped right back, his own temper reaching a peak only Inuyasha had ever brought him to before.

"He took me in before he'd even met Lady Izayoi," Naomi informed him curtly. "I was a ten year old child who had watched her mother get murdered by her own father. If not for Lord Inutashio's intervention, my father would have killed me that day too." Her breath was heaving in and out of her lungs by now and her hands clenched into fists. She could smell the blood from her claws digging into her palms. "I'm surprised your so irritated by this considering you're just like him."

"I am not anything like him," he said, stressing each syllable.

"Oh, yes you are." She gestured back towards the creek where they could still hear laughing and splashing. It just occurred to her that it was a good thing the humans wouldn't be able to hear them at this distance. Rin would panic if she saw Sesshoumaru and her fighting. Naomi returned her focus to the argument. "You took in an orphaned _human_ girl after saving her from death. How is that any different than what your father did for me? How is what he did dishonorable?"

He was silent now. His temper chilled to ice, but with the ice came logic. She was right. He had done just as his father had by taking in a human girl. Not only had he taken her in, he considered her his pup.

Seeing the chill in his eyes, Naomi let out a deep breath to calm herself. "Lord Sesshoumaru, your father was the greatest man in the world. He was honorable to his core and kind to anyone regardless of background. He is the only reason I survived my mother's death and I don't just mean him saving me from my father. Lord Inutashio saved me from myself." She met his eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, being told your just like him is the greatest of compliments."

"I don't see it that way."

Naomi suddenly had the urge to strangle him. "God you are stubborn." She placed her hands on her hips with shake of her head. "You don't have to see it that way. Just know that I do. Inutashio was a father to me in every way and I loved him for that. Anyone else would have just let me die." Naomi met his eyes again. "Would you have left me to die if it had been you?"

Sesshoumaru could only sigh and shake his head.

"Then why in the world do you think he should have?" she demanded.

He sighed again. What was he supposed to say? That he wished his father had acted dishonorably by leaving a child to die? He couldn't. Not only did he value honor above all else, but he hadn't just left Rin dead when he'd first found her. 'Unless I was wrong to save Rin, which is ridiculous, then my father hadn't been wrong.' And Sesshoumaru knew he hadn't been wrong. It would be harder to live with if his father hadn't acted honorably.

Still, he wasn't about to admit this out loud. Not to her. But the relaxing of her shoulders told him that he didn't have to say anything. She already knew. He was amazed by how easily she could read him. Was it because she'd known his father, or was it simply a talent of her to read others? Either way, he wasn't sure he liked it. Until now, only Rin could read him this well.

"Now that we have that settled," Naomi said as she shoved her hair off her shoulder. Her eyes changed slightly as the anger faded and was replaced with concern. "Are things going to be okay or are you going to stay mad about this?"

He sighed in annoyance. "I won't stay angry."

Hesitantly, she reached out and grabbed hold of the sleeve to his missing arm. Her eyes held something he couldn't identify. "Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Curious about her sudden mellowness, he asked, "What is it?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes now. "I was just...I wanted to know if..." Her eyes narrowed in frustration with herself. "Does this mean you're going to hate me even more now?"

"I don't hate you," he found himself saying. Why in the world would he say that? Because it's true, some voice in his mind informed him. Be that as it may, why did he have to go and admit that out loud?

She smiled a little. "Good."

Before he could decide what to make of this odd conversation, Naomi walked away. Deciding it was best to forget the entire thing, Sesshoumaru walked away to make sure all the preparations were ready for the arrival of the lords. Hopefully, whatever this was between him and the hanyou would be resolved by then. It wouldn't be good if the other lords realized that he was having difficulties with her.

Naomi rejoined her friends at the stream running through her gardens. Rin was swimming again. Her laugher danced through the air, soothing all of Naomi's frazzled nerves. The hanyou stopped to just watch as Rin, Shippo, and Kagome played in the water. Her family. Her security. Her life.

"Speaking of family," she mused out loud. "I wonder how Inuyasha is doing?"

Deciding she could use a break from Seshoumaru, Naomi figured it was time to go in search of Inuyasha. She hadn't seen him in a little over two months now, so she figured it was time to see how much progress he'd made. If nothing else, she should find out if he's discovered that Kagome means more to him than Kikyo. With that in mind, she made sure Rin was set up to stay under Kagome's watchful gaze while she was gone.

Within hours, Naomi was miles from her mountain near the border of the western and northern lands. Inuyasha and his friends were in a clearing finishing up lunch. She crouched in a tree and observed the dog hanyou for a little bit. Inuyasha was sitting against a tree with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. The scowl wasn't anything new but the aura of pure misery was. A good sign in her opinion.

Once she'd seen enough, Naomi jumped down. "Hey everyone."

Inuyasha was on her feet in seconds demanding, "Where's Kagome?"

Naomi widened her eyes in feigned ignorance. "Kagome? I thought you were letting her go, Inuyasha?"

He was not going to be deterred even by Naomi. "Where is she?"

"So touchy, aren't you?" Naomi looked over to Sango and Miroku. "How are you two doing?"

"A little tired, Naomi," Miroku admitted. "Inuyasha has been like a slave driver since you took Kagome."

"I have not," the dog hanyou snapped out. His gold eyes focused on Naomi. "Where is Kagome?"

"Why do you care?" She began examining her claws and buffed them against her haori. "You have Kikyo, remember?"

He growled and clenched his fists. "Just answer my question"

Naomi cocked a hip and looked at him in consideration. "You want to know what your problem is?"

"No, but you're about to tell me, aren't you?" he snapped. Even he couldn't explain why he was so annoyed with her right now. He had basically told her to take Kagome away the night they'd left. Now here he was getting upset that she had done just that.

"Yes, I am. You have trust issues."

"Way to go," he said sarcastically. "You solved the mystery of the year. Now where is Kagome?"

"And," she continued as if he hadn't spoken, "those issues are rooted with Kikyo."

He glared at her. "Leave Kikyo out of it. She has nothing to do with this."

"She has everything to do with this, Inuyasha," Naomi shouted, tired of his ignorance. "You left nearly a hundred years ago to make your way in the world, despite my warnings. Before you knew it and though no fault of your own, you fell in love with the miko named Kikyo. Then one thing led to another allowing Naraku to drive a wedge between you two. Kikyo was killed and you were pinned to a tree for fifty years." Naomi turned and paced away. She spun around. "Now you're free thanks to Kagome. She freed you and you can't even trust her to be your friend."

"I can't trust anyone, Naomi," Inuyasha snapped out, reaching a breaking point he hadn't realized was there. "The person I trusted most betrayed me. She pinned me to a tree. She took away fifty years of my life."

"No," Naomi said forcefully. "Not '_she_'. _Kikyo_ took fifty years of your life. Get it right. No one else has betrayed you, Inuyasha. No one else. Just Kikyo. So explain to me why Kagome must suffer for Kikyo's failing?"

He looked away from her. "You wouldn't understand."

Naomi sighed and turned away from him. "You're wrong, Inuyasha. I do understand. In case you've forgotten, I've been betrayed before." She looked over her shoulder at him. "If you remember correctly, I live alone on my mountain compound. Everyone I've ever loved has left me. Even you."

Inuyasha's ears flattened. She was right. Her mother had been killed when she'd been a child by her own father. Then his father, the person that raised her and cared for her, died. To add insult to injury, he'd left without her blessing and with some very unkind things said between them. If anyone understood loss and betrayal, it was Naomi.

"I think you need a little more time to mull that over before I tell you where Kagome is," Naomi informed him as she walked away. "I'll be back. In the mean time, consider your decision very carefully."

"What decision?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "The question hasn't changed. Kagome or Kikyo? You have to choose and make it quick or Kagome may take her heart back so she can give it to someone else."

With that, Naomi vanished, leaving behind her a very confused and irritated hanyou.

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That's it for now. I'll try my best not to make you wait too long for the next one.


	10. Guests and Denial

**Finally got over my writers block...Hopefully i manage to get this fic finished before it comes back. I think i'll bring Inuyasha back in the next chapter. He's had enough time to grow up...maybe. We'll see.**

**Disclaimer: If I didn't own Inuyasha in the first chapter, then I definitely don't own it now...though I can dream.**

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**Ch. 10: Guests and Denial**

The day finally arrived. The other three lords arrived at Naomi's mountain compound. Naomi stayed behind Sesshoumaru, but refused to bow her head. This was her home and no one, not even a Demon Lord would make her bow here...Except for Sesshoumaru, but she lived within his domain so that was only proper. It helped that he was Lord Inutashio's son.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," greeted the oldest of the lord, Ryuu the Dragon of the East. He had a relaxed air about him that came from wisdom and age. Despite that age, he had the appearance of a human in their thirties.

Next to him stood his mate, Lady Ruka, and his son. All three of them had a flame mark on their forehead, the symbol of the Eastern Lord. Lady Ruka was also a dragon with long dark hair and piercing eyes. Like her mate, she had the air of someone who'd seen her share of life. She also had this kind look to her that made Naomi hope that this demoness wouldn't look down on her. The son - what was his name again?...Hayate?...That was it- Hayate, was about Sesshoumaru's age and had his parents' dark looks, but lacked the aura of wisdom.

"Lord Ryuu," Sesshoumaru returned, nodding his head with slight respect.

"I didn't know you had such an expansive compound," Lord Kenta of the South commented as he looked around.

He was just a century older than Sesshoumaru. In contrast with his counterpart to the east, the lion had lighter look to him with golden hair and eyes. If Naomi remembered correctly, he was unmated and would probably be looking for one during the festival. She doubted he'd have trouble finding one. Like Sesshoumaru, he was excessively attractive. On his forehead was three parallel claw marks.

"It's not my compound," Sesshoumaru replied gesturing for Naomi to step forward. "This is Naomi, and she has volunteered to allow me to use her compound to host the mating festival."

"Greetings" Naomi said politely, thinking that this was the most she'd heard Sesshoumaru say when he wasn't angry. It would seem that even he was capable of holding a conversation now and then.

The lords all turned their gazes to her. She didn't even flinch. Naomi had spent her life learning to hide it when she was bothered or afraid. Even her scent didn't give a single clue about what she was thinking. Until she looked at Lord Akira of the North. There was a flicker, but only for a second, of her hatred and fear of him. And, only Sesshoumaru had been close enough to notice.

"A hanyou," Lord Kenta commented as he examined her.

"Yes," she agreed easily enough. "A wolf specifically."

"And this compound is yours?" Lady Ruka asked, looking around as the gardens.

Naomi nodded. "And the surrounding forest."

"We appreciate you allowing the festivities to take place here," Lord Ryuu said with a small bow of appreciation.

Naomi gave in at that point and returned the bow with one of her own. She still refused to give the other lords that show of respect. Not until they gave it to her first. On that, she was very firm. As she expected, one of them challenged her on it.

"That is the first time you've bowed to any of us," Hayate, Ryuu's son, pointed out a little indignantly.

She looked at him with bored sea foam eyes. "Yes, it is."

"You should show your betters more respect," he reminded her coldly. Her bored look turned to irritation instantly.

"And just who are my 'betters'?" she asked him a little too sweetly. She left it up to him to realize she was saying he wasn't better than her.

"Watch yourself, Hanyou," Lord Akira growled, baring his wolf fangs.

Her eyes narrowed. She was tired of pretending to be nice. "Look. I am not going to let you walk all over me just because of my heritage. I'm a hanyou, but I'm not any less than you for it." She met each of their eyes with defiance. "If you have a problem with it, I'm more than happy to fight with any of you. Otherwise, deal with it."

With that, she turned and walked off towards the willow tree. Which reminded her. She looked back at Sesshoumaru. "My lord, please don't forget your promise to me."

He nodded, knowing she was talking about the safety of that tree.

She faced him fully and gave him a bow. Mostly to show that he at least had her respect. Then continued her way to the tree.

"That hanyou should know her place," Akira said, his orange eyes narrowed in agitation.

"This is her home," Sesshoumaru said, defending her actions. She was under his protection, he reasoned with himself. Why did that feel like an excuse? With a sigh, he shifted to include all of the lords in his gaze. "She has requested only one thing from us in exchange for her hospitality."

"Oh?" Lord Kenta asked, raising a golden brow. He expected something dramatic or costly. "What would that be?"

"That under no circumstances is the willow tree to be harmed."

Lady Ruka gave a soft smile. "Such a simple request. I'm sure we can manage that."

"Why is the tree important?" Lord Ryuu asked curiously.

Sesshoumaru shrugged indifferently. "I'm not sure. I only know that it is irreplaceable to her."

"We, as the leaders of our people, will see that this one request is met," Lady Ruka emphasized, giving each of the demon lords a hard look. "Right?"

"Of course, Ruka," Ryuu agreed easily. He had no trouble with the fact that his mate was a bit strong willed. In fact, it was one of the many things he loved about her. He also knew his son would need someone just as strong to beat him into shape. Hopefully, Hayate would find that someone during the mating festival.

The other two lords nodded in agreement.

"Where is your daughter, Akira?" Lord Kenta asked.

"She will arrive tomorrow," the Northern Lord replied easily. He looked around the compound again. "Where will we sleep?"

Sesshoumaru gestured and Jirou stepped up from where he'd been silently watching. With a bow, the Jirou said, "I'll show you to your rooms."

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Naomi sat on a bench next to the willow with her eyes closed. Kagome and the children were in a secluded part of the compound, so everything was very quiet at the moment. The lords were probably being settled into their rooms by Jirou right now. She wished she hadn't agreed to this. Why had she again? Oh right. She had conflicting emotions when it came to Sesshoumaru. Something about him that she just couldn't put her claws on.

"I'll figure it out eventually," she murmured to herself. Her wolf ears twitched as she heard approaching foot steps. Cracking an eye open, she saw Sesshoumaru. "Greetings, my lord. What brings you here?"

He looked at the tree. Truth be told, he was curious about it now that Ryuu had questioned its importance to Naomi.

She saw him looking. "Your father made me plant this tree just hours after I buried my mother and then ordered me to tend to it for the rest of my life." She glanced back at the tree. "That simple command saved me from myself."

He turned his gaze to her. She was giving the tree a very fond look as she patted its trunk. Turning her gaze back to him, her eyes became more serious as she straightened.

"I have a gift for you, by the way," she informed him.

He tilted his head slightly.

Her gaze landed on his empty sleeve. "I can give you back your arm."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly. "You can?"

She nodded. "I can and would like to."

"Why?"

"Because..." She fidgeted a bit. "...I made a promise."

"To who?"

"Your father."

He sat next to her. "What promise?"

She sighed and decided she might as well tell him everything, because he would insist on it. "The night your father died, he asked me to do one thing. Look after you and Inuyasha. I promised I would."

The Western Lord considered her for a very long moment before nodding. "Alright. What do you need?"

She gestured towards the stream that ran next to the willow. "Let's sit next to the water. I'll need a lot of that."

Once they were settled next to the stream, she took a deep breath to settled herself. It would take a lot of focus to keep from paying attention to his body rather than what she was doing. Once she was sure she had herself controlled, she said, "You'll need to take off the shirt."

Slowly, Sesshoumaru began to remove his armor followed by his shirt.

Naomi closed her eyes and took another breath. With precise and fluid movements, she summoned water from the stream and directed it to attach to Sesshoumaru's stubbed arm. He suppressed a winced when the cold water met his bare skin. With another deep breath, she focused her powers and the water began to glow and formed into the shape of an arm. Slowly, inch by inch, she moved her hand down his arm. With each moment the pain doubled and Sesshoumaru actually began to growl. Despite this, he refused to lose control. That would have been too degrading.

After what had to be hours, she reached his hand. Her progression only slowed more as she formed the fingers and bones of the hand. He growled again. Sweat trickled down her face and her breath was coming in gasps. It took at least another hour before she finally dropped her hands and laid back on the grass.

"Done," she managed between gasps.

Sesshoumaru looked down at his new left arm. He flexed the fingers. She had gotten every detail correct, even the strips around his wrist. The skin was still very tender, but she told him that would pass.

"It also won't be as strong as your other arm," she informed him as she sat back up. "But a little exercise will fix that."

He nodded as he stood back up.

She smiled. "There. Now I have a clear conscience." The demon lord offered her hand which she refused with a shake of her head. "No thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru. I need to stay seated until I recover from the healing."

With a shrug, Sesshoumaru left her. She smiled at his retreating form. He didn't thank her verbally, but she knew he was grateful. It had been in his eyes, which for some reason were very expressive considering his icy demeanor. Naomi frowned a little as she realized she was getting just a little too fond of the Western Lord for her health. That had to stop for obvious reasons.

She stood then looked at the willow. "Well, my old friend, it's a good thing I'm excellent at controlling myself."

Turning, she made her way to her training grounds. There Kagome was learning archery from Hiroto the Bear Demon. During the training, Kagome's skills had only improved under Hiroto's patient tutelage. With that improvement came confidence that Kagome had previously lacked. Something the miko had desperately needed in Naomi's humble opinion.

Not far away, Shippo was meditating as Naomi ordered. She wanted him to learn to keep himself centered, because it was then that he would become aware of the world around him. Emotion was all well and good, and showing it was even better. But, when Shippo got emotional, he stopped paying attention. That was, to put it bluntly, bad.

Suffering with him, because misery loved company and she was a caring girl, was Rin. Both of the breathed deeply and kept their eyes shut. Shippo's ears twitched. Naomi put her fingers to her lips when Kagome would have greeted her. Slowly, she came up behind Shippo.

"Hello, Naomi," Shippo said, his voice held his excitement and his tail swished.

"Naomi," Rin cheered, standing up. She wrapped her strong little arms around Naomi's leg.

Naomi grinned at the young kit as she placed a gentle hand on Rin's head. "Congratulations, Shippo."

He stood and turned. "I'm finally getting it. I can hear things and sense things I couldn't before."

"That's what happens when you learn to pay attention," she informed him with a huge grin. "Now you and Rin can go play, but stay away from out guests. I don't want you to be hurt."

He nodded. "I'll look after Rin."

Naomi smiled warmly at this comment. He was learning responsibility quite by accident being around the younger more vulnerable Rin. It was good for him.

"Don't stay up too late," she reminded the children as they rushed off. "The sun is going down already."

"We won't," they promised, laughing.

With a shake of her head, Naomi turned to smile at Kagome and Hiroto. "I'll be in late tonight. You two should probably also avoid our noble guests."

Kagome nodded in firm agreement. "Don't need to tell me twice. One Sesshoumaru-like demon is enough. I don't want to deal with four of them." She hesitated then asked, "Have you seen Inuyasha lately?"

Naomi debated with herself then answered honestly. "Yes, and I think the space is doing him good as well."

The miko nodded then turned towards the house. "I think I'm going to bed early tonight."

"I will as well," Hiroto said, gathering the archery equipment. He was staying within the forest with the other demons here for the festival.

Naomi watched them go without comment. She had other plans for part of her evening. Once she had everyone else taken care of. For the next hour, she visited her mother, then when to put the children to bed. Finally, she checked on Sesshoumaru. He was sitting in her library discussing things with Lord Ryuu. With gave them both a bow before heading back outside to yet another secluded part of her compound.

In one corner, hidden by trees and shrubs, was her hot springs. Stripping down, she stepped in with a sigh of relief. Nothing like a good hot bath to ease tension. Seeing Lord Akira, her father, had made her feel very tense. Actually, that was probably an understatement. With a deep breath, she dived under the water. When she surfaced again, she let out a deep moan of pleasure. This was just what she needed. For a moment, she stilled. She'd thought she heard something. A quick glance told her no one was there. 'Probably just jumpy because of my father's presence,' she consoled herself.

Sesshoumaru had finished talking with Ryuu, so he went for a brief patrol around the mountain. The mating festival could get very rowdy, and he wanted to make sure no one destroyed Naomi's home. Had had promised her that much.

On his way back, he happened to run across the hot springs. He noted a pile of clothes and towel on some rocks near the edge. Someone was in there. He looked around but didn't see anyone. Suddenly, Naomi broke through the surface of the water. She threw her head back and water sprayed around. He could only stare. The moon light seemed to give her a silvery glow. Her thick, dark hair flew back and seemed suddenly dry. Then again, she could control water, so it made a little sense. His golden eyes watched as water trickled down her bare skin.

Suddenly, he jerked around and walked away quietly. This was not happening, he told himself. She was a hanyou. Therefore, he would never, not even for a moment, think of her as beautiful. Never. 'So why couldn't he get the image out of his head?' a small voice in the back of his head demanded. 'And why had his demon blood demanded to be released so it could claim her?" He ignored the questions, deeming them pointless and unimportant. He would never be attracted to a hanyou. Not even one as strong as Naomi was.

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**This chapter is finished. I'll get the next one up as soon as I can.**


	11. Ruka of the North

I'm working on this one again. Yay! I've missed Naomi. Anyways, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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**Ch. 11: Ruka of the North**

Naomi wasn't happy. Actually, that was an understatement. If looks could kill, Sesshoumaru would be dead right now. What had he been thinking, waking her up before the sun was up? She wanted to kill him for that. Maybe she would. That perked her up. Then she could go back to bed.

"I can't believe you decided to do this in the morning," she growled.

"You said I needed to work the arm out," he reminded her. "You are a good sparing partner that I can trust with the information that one of my arms is weak at the moment."

She closed her eyes and pictured herself wringing his neck. That helped a little. "But did it have to happen before sunrise?"

"Yes."

She growled again. "Why?"

"Because I don't want the others to know about my weakness." He stopped to face her. The memory of her bathing flashed through his mind but he shoved it aside. "If anyone knows about my arm being weak at the moment, they'll try to fight me. I say try because I would win anyway, but I'd rather not waste time on them in the first place."

She sighed. "Fine. But I will be trying to gut you. Just so you know. It'll make me feel better."

He shot her a smirk, but said nothing.

They were heading towards her training grounds. It was turing the early hours of morning just before the sun rose. Everything was quiet and even a little peaceful. As nice as it was, Naomi would still rather be in bed than here. Her usual motto was 'if the sun isn't up, then I'm not up.' But nooo. Sesshoumaru - Mr. I will have my way no matter what you want - just had to interrupt that. He didn't even warn her about this. Just woke her up this morning like it was nothing. Arrogant jerk.

They approached her training grounds. She had no weapons since all of hers were made out of water or ice anyway. They stood across from each other on the battle ground. Her mind was finally catching up with her body and waking. Which caused her another sort of problem as she watched him.

The moonlight made him look nearly unreal as it made his skin and hair glow a little. Her imagination went into overdrive and she had to shove the thoughts out of her mind before he noticed. But, the thoughts just wouldn't go away. She desperately searched for something to say that would distract her.

"It begins today, right?" she asked the first thing that came to mind. "The festival, I mean."

He nodded and she was pleased to see him glare. Serves him right for waking her up.

"When are you going to tell Inuyasha where the miko is?" Sesshoumaru asked her, which made her glare.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I need him to give me some definite sign about who he's chosen. The dead or the living. The past or present. Kikyo or Kagome."

"Ignorant pup. That shouldn't be something he had trouble deciding between."

Naomi laughed a little without humor. "The past can be hard to relinquish. There's something in you sometimes that keeps you holding on what what you know you can't have." Her sea foam eyes became distant as she looked in the direction of her mother's grave. "Sometimes love has you wishing, that just this once you can have it. This time it won't betray you or leave you."

"If that is what love does that someone else can have that kind of suffering?" Sesshoumaru was watching her face. She wasn't talking about Inuyasha anymore, and yet she was at the same time. Naomi understood the pup from experience. "Nothing that hurts that much can be good."

"I don't know," Naomi disagreed. "If he makes the right choice, it will make Inuyasha happier than he's ever been." Her eyes moved to Sesshoumaru. "And I know you don't like to hear about this, but it did make Inutashio happy both times. With your mother and Inuyashas's."

"How do you know that?"

"I knew him during both. Remember? I've been living on this compound for nearly four hundred years. You're only a century older than me." She smiled a little sadly. "I remember the day your mother died. He came here to grieve. I never saw him so broken as that day and he wasn't the same after that. Like something in him was missing. I think the only thing that held him together was you, his son. After her death, you became his lifeline."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened a little with surprise. He'd never thought of his father as grieving or in need of a lifeline. Even now, his father remained invincible in his memories. Even the dragon who caused the wounds that eventually killed Inutashio wouldn't have succeeded in killing him if his father had taken the time to recover before going into battle again.

Her smile became a little happier. "Then he met Lady Izayoi and he began to recover what he'd been missing. He was happy again. So, I wouldn't say love isn't worth it as long as it's real and mutual."

The Demon Lord shook his head. He couldn't believe he was having this discussion with anyone, let alone a hanyou he was currently denying an attraction to. Drawing his sword he took a fighting stance.

Understanding that he was through talking about this, she uncorked her waterskin and drew out the liquid inside. With a quick pull downward with both hands, the water turned into a sword made of ice as strong as steel.

Being the aggressive sort, Naomi made the first attack. It wasn't her style to wait out her opponent. She preferred to make her own opening rather than wait for them to create one themselves.

The swords clashed with a loud ring of metal on ice.

She knew from rumors and the one time she'd seen him fight, that Sesshoumaru was Inuyasha's polar opposite in combat. The Demon Lord would be cold, calculating, and patient. Always careful not to waste a single breath or movement. Like father like son, she supposed. Lord Inutashio had been the same way.

Sesshoumaru could feel the burn of his muscles as he held her sword at bay, which forced him to admit she was very powerful. It didn't help that he was intentionally using his left arm, which even before it had been severed, wasn't his usual sword arm.

She whirled around him, his body moving as fluidly as the water she controlled. He shifted blocking her next attack. To his surprise, his sword didn't even put a dent in hers. Ice or not, it was strong. He stayed on the defense to observe her style. It was very similar to his own except more offensive.

Hours passed as the two danced around each other. The sounds of swords echoed with the air as the sun began to rise higher and higher. Neither of them showed signs of tiring even a little bit. In fact, neither felt anything but the thrill of a good fight. A rarity for the the two as most weren't skill enough to give them a challenge.

He blocked another attack but this time, moved in for his own attack. He saw her shift to block and knew she would manage it with minimal effort. Suddenly, her sword melted away and her body went rigid. He stopped his sword inches from her throat.

"Naomi?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

She glanced over her shoulder. Following her gaze, he realized someone was coming this way. Stepping back, Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword. He wouldn't need that for this meeting.

Lord Akira stepped out of the garden and into the training area. Next to him, stood a firey demoness. And the term firey didn't just describe her personality, but her looks as well. She had red hair and eyes much like her father's. Her body was one most women, even demonesses, would kill for. She had a sharp mind and excellent battle skills.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," Akira greeted. Gesturing towards the demoness he said, "Have you met my daughter, Ruka?"

"Once," Sesshoumaru answered without smiling. He did not want anyone mistaking his politeness for interest.

Ruka bowed. "Hello again, Lord Sesshoumaru."

Naomi shifted to step away from the two. She wished she could just walk away. Deciding that she could, she turned and did just that. She might have made it too, if Lord Akira had just let her go.

"Wait a moment, Hanyou. My daughter should know our host. Even if you are just a half-breed."

Naomi felt her muscles tighten as she turned. Her glare burned through Akira like a hot poker. She was not taking that kind of abuse from anyone, even him. "Lord Akira, I am doing my best to show you and the other lords complete respect, but you make it very difficult." Her tone was hard as stone. "My name is Naomi not Hanyou. I won't answer to Hanyou again, so use my name or don't talk to me."

"You better watch yourself, hanyou," he warned her. "I don't forgive disrespect."

"In case you've forgotten, this is my home. I will not be looked down upon here. I will take the abuse you demons give me most other times, but not here. Not on my own compound."

Akira shifted, but Sesshoumaru spoke before he could say more. "Akira, don't think about it. She is still under my protection until our deal is complete."

The northern lord stepped back, but his hot eyes were on Naomi.

Ruka looked at each person then gave Naomi a big smile and held out her hand. "Hello. My name is Ruka."

Taken aback by the friendliness, Naomi took the offered and out of habitual politeness. "Hi."

"Naomi right?" Ruka asked, still grinning.

"Right." Shaking off the shock, Naomi frowned and dropped Ruka's hand like a hot brick. "Why are you being nice?"

"Well, it's not very often I see someone stand up to my father. Let's just say I'm impressed." Ruka didn't seem at all ruffled by Naomi's temper or touchiness. "It's a nice place you have here. I especially love the flowers."

"Well...Umm...Thank you." Naomi wasn't sure how she felt about this. On the one hand, Ruka obviously did not inherit her father's prejudices, but when it came to the Northern family, Naomi was a little unsure of what to think.

"Just your daughter?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"My son is still too young for mating, so he'd just be bored," Akira explained, looking at Sesshoumaru now. "I left him with the servants at home."

Naomi looked away. Ruka was only a decade older than Naomi, and the son was several centuries younger. Proof of what Naomi was to him. The illegitimate child that was born while he was mated to another.

"I'm here to find a mate," Ruka supplied with a smile. "Don't worry, Lord Sesshoumaru. Despite my father's hopes, I don't want you. You're too...I don't know but there something that just doesn't work for me."

Sesshoumaru actually felt relief, but he was very careful not to show it.

"You have a brother?" Naomi asked, thought she'd already known the answer. She'd kept careful track of the Northern family. She'd known the day Akira's mate had given birth for the second time, and the day the Northern Lady had died.

"Yes. He's a little pest right now but I'm sure he'll grow out of it some day." Despite her words, there was an indulgent smile on Ruka's face. She spun on her heels and said, "I'm going to eat now. It's almost lunch time and this evening the festivities begin."

Naomi watched her half sister walk away. She would admit, she was a bit curious about her half sister. But, it was a curiosity she could never risk being satisfied. That would bring her too close to the monster that haunted her past. Too close to Akira. And if he ever found out who she was, he'd kill her.

"This is going to be an interesting week," she whispered as she followed Sesshoumaru towards the house for lunch.

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Until the next chapter.


	12. Kimonos and Festivals

So I know it's been a very long time but I've been very busy and has a minor (okay major) writer's block. No worries though. I've worked through it and have several chapters for this story ready to go. I'll keep working so that I hopefully stay several chapters ahead. Btw, one of the things I was so busy doing was writing a novel of my own creation. The summary of which is on my profile page. I'd like to get some opinions on it so if anyone is interested please let me know. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC characters.

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**Ch. 12: Kimonos and Festivals**

Kagome stood with Hiroto in Naomi's training yard. She sighed for perhaps the umpteenth time since her arrival to the compound. Her eyes drifted over towards Naomi. Her friend was sitting under a tree taking a nap. Apparently, she'd had a very early - and according to her, rude - wake up call. Kagome smiled a little at the memory of Naomi's grumbling about Ssesshoumaru. It was rare to see her friend so worked up and not do anything about it.

Thoughts of Sesshoumaru brought her mind back to Inuyasha. She sighed again. When she first left him this time, she'd been relieved. Now it was starting to hurt again. Naomi said that was just part of the process of letting go, and Kagome knew the wolf hanyou was right. That didn't make this any easier.

Taking a deep breath, she focused her attention on the target and aimed her arrow then released it. During her time with Naomi, she'd learned to control her miko powers so that not every arrow she fired was purified. This was good because she destroyed fewer of Naomi's targets now.

"Very good, Kagome," Hiroto complimented when her arrow struck the center of the target. "You've improved a lot during the last two months."

"I know," she said with a proud smile. "Naomi was right. All I needed was someone to teach me."

"You are a natural with it. It's like you were born to have a bow in your hand."

Kagome thought of reincarnation. "Maybe I was. It was Kikyo's specialty."

Hiroto looked at Kagome's sad eyes. The miko had suffered a lot in her short life and all because of the soul she shared with a great miko of the past. "Perhaps, but you still earned the skill on your own."

She smiled again. "I did, didn't I. Hours worth of practice and frustration went into that shot." Her smile widened. "It's my skill now."

"Exactly," he agreed, happy she wasn't upset anymore. "But now it is time for rest."

She nodded in agreement. As she unstrung her bow, she asked, "Are you going to the mating festival?"

He shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. I would like a mate, but these festivals are rough."

"How so?"

"The males tend to act like their animal counterparts when trying to claim a mate, which means they'll fight each other until there's only one left or the female chooses."

It sounded strange but at the same time it made sense. Kagome looked towards Naomi's house. Right now, demons of all kinds and from all over the country were preparing for the first day of the festival. Even Naomi had to attend because it was being hosted on her compound.

Kagome glanced back at the hanyou. Naomi was awake now and glaring up at the sun. The miko couldn't help the amused smile that spread over her face. "Is something wrong, Naomi?"

The hanyou looked over at her sullenly. "Yes. As a matter of fact there is." Her sea foam eyes shot another glare at the sun. "It's time for me to get dressed for this stupid festival that I am not even taking part in."

"Why don't you participate?" Kagome asked curiously.

Naomi looked at her like she was an idiot. "Because they'll all be full blooded demons, none of which would ever mate with a hanyou." She sighed. "Besides, the one I want I could never have."

The wolf hanyou never believed in denial. It didn't work and most of the time it only made things worse. Look what it had done to Inuyasha's life after all. She knew that she was more than physically attracted to a certain dog demon. All she could do at this point was try not to let the attraction get any stronger.

She sighed. So far she was failing miserably and it was all his fault. If he wasn't such a honorable and strong demon maybe. But noooo. He just had be the decent sort. She stood up still growling.

"I better get moving. You should probably grab the children and go with Hiroto and Jirou when they leave. Demons are a rambunctious lot when competing for mates." She looked towards her house. "Wouldn't want any accidents to happen."

"That sounds like it would be best," Kagome agreed with a disappointed smile. "I was curious to see it though."

"I'm sorry, Kagome. But I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you as I'll be busy protecting the mountain and Sesshoumaru is the host so he'll be busy as well."

"I understand." Kagome managed a smile. "I would rather miss it than end up dead because of curiosity."

"Maybe if everyone behaves this time, I'll feel better about bringing you tomorrow."

"Then I'll keep my fingers crossed," Kagome promised.

Naomi tilted her head. "I have no idea what that means."

"Sorry. In my time, that means that I'll keep up hope." Kagome gave a sheepish smile. "I forget to translate my thoughts sometimes."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we've said or done something that makes no sense to you." Naomi looked up at the sun again. "I really should be going now."

"What will you wear?"

"I don't know yet." Naomi grinned mischievously in a way that reminded Kagome of Inuyasha when he was up to something particularly clever. "I don't own a kimono so my regular clothes are it really."

"I don't think the Lords will approve," Kagome said with a smile.

Naomi's grin only widened. "I know. Good thing I don't need or want their approval."

The mention of the lords reminded Kagome of something, but she hesitated. It was probably a very touchy subject for her hanyou friend. But still... "Naomi, can I ask you something that might be...too personal?"

"No such question between friends," Naomi reassured her. "Ask me anything."

"Okay, but feel free to not answer if you don't want to." Kagome hesitated again then rushed onward, "Why do you hate and fear Lord Akira of the North?"

Kagome watched as Naomi's usually relaxed and calm demeanor changed. Her shoulders stiffened and sea foam eyes went to stone. "You don't beat around the bush do you, Kagome?"

"I'm sorry. You don't..."

"No, it's okay." Naomi turned and drew a deep breath. "I'll tell you but it's a long story, so it'll have to wait. After today's festivities."

"You don't have to."

Naomi managed a smile. "Kagome, you are quickly becoming my closest friend. And if things work out the way I hope, you'll be family soon. It's time I trust you with my secrets. I just don't have time to tell the story just now."

The miko nodded and smiled. "I'll go get the children and stay with Hiroto."

The bear demon placed a clawed hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I'll stay with them all and keep them safe for you, Naomi."

She tilted her head and examined the bear demon. Hiroto was large. Taller than even Sesshoumaru and powerfully built. She found it hard to believe that he was avoiding the festival because he didn't want to fight. Her muscles ached just thinking about the attack she'd endured from him when he'd been under the control of a jewel shard. She hated to think what he was capable of when he had a sound and clear mind to work with...Though she didn't believe him stronger than the lords, he was probably more powerful that most demons.

"Then I won't worry about them since you are perfectly capable of handling most dangers." She tilted her head. "You might want to go into one of the human villages at the base of my mountain. They are used to demons so they won't panic at the sight of a bear demon and you'll be away from all the festivities."

Hiroto nodded and followed Kagome to get the children. Naomi watched the miko walk away with the bear demon. The wolf hanyou had noticed that her friend was feeling more and more heartbroken every day. Soon she would start feeling better given a little more time. That meant it was also time to give Inuyasha one last chance to make his choice.

"It'll have to wait until after the party though," she commented as she turned. "Oh well, it's not like I have to put on a kimono or anything. Just cleaner and nicer hakamas and haori."

She walked up to the shoji that led into her room. It was one of things she loved about her home. She could enter any room from a shoji outside. She could use the hallways inside if she wished during bad weather, but unless it was storming outside, she didn't. Being outside was her preference really.

Naomi had just opened her closet when someone behind her said, "My Lady?"

"You must have the wrong person," Naomi said as she turned around. There was a demoness behind her with a shy demeanor and a simple brown kimono. To put the demoness at ease, Naomi offered a lighthearted smile as she added, "I'm no lady."

"Well, m'lord called you Lady Naomi," the girl explained with a bow. "I assumed..."

"Don't worry about it. Just don't call me 'lady.'" Naomi noticed that the demoness was holding something made of silk the color of twilight with stars glittering over the surface. "What do you need?"

"I was told to deliver this to you." The demoness held out the silk. "For the festival."

Naomi looked at the silk then back to the servant girl. "Just who sent you again?"

"The Eastern Lord and Lady," the demoness answered offering a smile. "They wanted to offer this as a gift."

Naomi bit back the curses she wanted to scream. She knew exactly what the servant was holding and she didn't want it. She didn't want to get anywhere near it. She didn't even want to think about it. Yet, she didn't have a choice. If she didn't wear the damn thing it would insult the Eastern Lord and Lady. Then things would turn into a disaster. She didn't want to have to be afraid of two lords...make that three since she needed to be afraid of Sesshoumaru though for different reasons. He wouldn't physically hurt her like the other two, but the Western Lord could do much more damage to her.

She looked at the silk in the servant's hands and bit back more curses. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

"You don't like it?" the demoness asked in shock. "It's beautiful."

"Oh yes it is. Very beautiful..." Naomi agreed. She reached out and fingered the silk a bit wistfully. "On someone else. This sort of thing doesn't suit me."

The servant looked stunned. "You're joking, m'la..." At a sharp look from Naomi, she quickly said, "I mean...Naomi. You are perfectly suited to that kimono."

"No, I'm not." Naomi let go of the fabric. "These are made for those dainty demonesses that like to impress men and learned to perform duties of a wife. Not warriors like me. I've been trained to rip head off, not turn them."

The servant gave Naomi an appraising look then smiled. "Let's get it on you, Naomi. The festival will start soon."

"If I must," Naomi sighed. She looked at the servant girl again. A dragon demon, she realized now. Should have known she worked for the Eastern Dragon Lord. "What's your name?"

"I'm called Izumi."

"Well, Izumi, let's get this kimono on because the sooner we do that the sooner I can take it back off."

When they were done, Naomi was wearing a beautiful twilight kimono. Izumi stared but Naomi didn't seem all that impressed. She sniffed. "I knew this would turn out strange. I feel like a peasant pretending to be royalty."

"You look amazing," Izumi assured her.

"Yeah, right." Naomi sighed. "I guess I better get going or I'll be late."

She pulled open her shoji and headed outside. The party was just starting. Women in kimonos that were just as beautiful as the one she wore strolled through the gardens examining the men around them. They hid coy smiles behind fans as the demon males strutted around like peacocks.

Naomi found the entire thing funny. They acted like a bunch of fools. She sighed and began walking towards the center of the party where the lords stood. It took a moment for her to get the hang of walking in a kimono. She was so focused on not falling on her face that she missed everyone's reaction to her appearance.

Sesshoumaru saw her first only because he noticed her scent. Water lilies. Without really thinking about it, he turned towards the scent. And then could only stare. It was rare for him to find himself so utterly taken aback. Other than that brief moment when he'd seen her bathing, he hadn't really thought of her as a woman. Now he couldn't think of anything else.

Her dark hair was pulled up into a bun with finely carved wooden chopsticks except for her two dark blue locks. Those were left loose to frame her face. The twilight color of the kimono brought out the blue hair and even made her sea foam eyes stand out more. Those eyes. The ones that saw so much in everyone. He could drown in those eyes right now. The kimono even brought out her figure, accenting curves her usual garb hid. She wasn't even wearing a water skin which made her seem strangely naked despite the kimono. She always had that water skin.

His inattention had the other looking to see what had distracted him for a full second then they two stared. It made him feel better to know he wasn't the only one shocked by her transformation. Since when had she become a...well...a she?

She looked up and he realized he been staring for a full two seconds now. Sesshoumaru forced himself to blink and regain his usual calm and cold demeanor. He even managed to sound normal when he said, "You're late."

"I had to change." She turned and bowed to Lord Ryu and Lady Sakura. "Thank you for the kimono. I don't own one so it was an unexpected surprise to be able to wear one."

"I wanted to give you something as thanks for allowing the festival to take place in your home," Lady Sakura said as she returned the bow. "I know it probably a big concession for you to allow all of these demons here."

Naomi mentally grumbled about how sweet Sakura was. If the Eastern Lady were just mean, then Naomi wouldn't feel so bad about hating the kimono. Outwardly she smiled. "I'll admit, I feel a little strange. I've never worn a kimono before."

Sakura looked shocked. "You haven't?"

Naomi shook her head. "No. I've never needed to."

"But you're beautiful," Ruka of the North objected as she examined Naomi from head to toe. "I mean...Very beautiful."

Naomi managed to contain a snort. "Right. I am no beauty." She turned to the other lords. "Just remember the only thing I ask for is that my willow be unharmed when this is over."

"We will make sure of that, Lady Naomi," Lord Kenta, the lion demon of the South assured her. "Now, may I have the honor of the first dance?"

He held out his hand to her.

Naomi blinked at him then tilted her head. "I'm afraid I've never danced either."

"Then now is a good time to learn. Just follow my lead," he told her with a grin.

She chuckled and placed her hand in his. "Alright but if I fall on my face I'll kill you."

"No faith at all."

Sesshoumaru watched her go with Kenta and was surprised by the urge to object. Just what was wrong with him?

The rest of the day when very well. Naomi was actually impressed with just how well. Only two fights broke out, which were easily taken care of by one of the four lords. She danced with Lord Kenta and even Lord Ryu, who was safely mated. Kenta wasn't but she didn't think he was interested in her as a mate but was merely being polite and friendly. She'd seen him eyeing some demoness a few times but she hadn't pinned down which woman yet.

Lord Akira basically ignored her existence, which was fine by her. It was Ruka that really bothered her. The wolf demoness of the North just wouldn't stop being friendly. And because she was friendly, Naomi felt like she had to be. Naomi reminded herself that it wasn't really Ruka's fault that she didn't know how uncomfortable she made the hanyou.

By the time the festival was over, Naomi was exhausted. She changed out of the kimono and set it aside. At least she wouldn't have to wear it tomorrow too. There was no way it would be clean in time. She debated on waiting until morning to deal with Inuyasha, but then she might have to explain where she went to Kagome. The miko was on her way back from the human village now so she wasn't here to question Naomi.

"I better go now," she groaned as she dressed into her normal clothes. Grabbing her water skin, she headed out again.

"Where are you going?"

She spun around to face Sesshoumaru. Next to him stood Ruka. "I'm just going to see how Inuyasha is doing."

"You're tired," Sesshoumaru pointed out.

Naomi feigned shock. "Really? I'm so glad you pointed that out. Otherwise I'd have never noticed."

His eyes narrowed.

"Sorry," Naomi said a bit sheepishly. "I get grouchy when I'm tired. I have to go now otherwise I'll have to explain where I'm going to Kagome. I'll be back as quickly as I can."

With that she turned and raced off.

Sesshoumaru debated on following just to make sure she'd be safe then shrugged it off. She'd be fine. Naomi had already prove to be intelligent enough not to make some stupid mistake even when tired. Nor would anyone find her an easy target. He turned to make his way to is room. Everything would be fine.

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That's it for now. I'll update next week hopefully. I've been working long hours so It's hard to say what I'll have time for, but I will do my best. Thank you for your patience. Please R&R.


	13. Attack on the Miko

So here it is. Updated at last. Not going to bother with excuses. Just say I'm sorry and move on. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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**Ch. 13: Attack on the Miko**

Naomi found Inuyasha and his friend in a clearing just within the Western Lands. She smiled. Inuyasha must know she was keeping Kagome somewhere inside his brother's domain. Where else would Kagome be safest yet still be within the Feudal Era. He seemed on edge. As if something weren't quite right but he didn't know how to fix it.

She stepped out of the woods. "Hello, Inuyasha."

He jumped up and asked the question he always asked when he saw her. "Where's Kagome?"

"Why do you bother asking?" she sighed. "You know I'm not going to tell you until you've made a choice."

"Naomi, I'm worried about her." Suddenly he growled. "I came to you for help and this is what you do instead?"

She grinned. "Inuyasha, this is helping you. It will help clear your mind once you've made this choice. It's been looming over our head since the day Kikyo was brought back and you know it."

His ears flattened. "Naomi..."

"It's time, Inuyasha. If you stall any longer, Kagome will make a choice first and you won't like it." She clasped her hands behind her back. "Now, choose."

Inuyasha gave her a helpless look. Before he could speak again, someone shouted, "Naomi!"

The wolf hanyou immediately spun around, recognizing Rin's voice. The little girl was riding AhUn and looked very panicked. The moment she saw Naomi, tears began to spill down her face.

"Naomi!" she called again.

Naomi could smell Rin's fear from the ground. "What happened?"

"It's Kagome. Lord Sesshoumaru says she's dying. Rin is scared."

A low growl escaped Naomi. "What happened, Rin?"

"Rin doesn't know. She just knows that Hiroto came back with Kagome and Lord Sesshoumaru said she would die if you didn't come." The dragon landed in front of Naomi. "Then he sent Rin to come get you."

"Then I should get back," Naomi said as she shifted to begin running.

"Naomi, you can't just leave us hanging like this," Inuyasha snapped as he grabbed her arm. He knew that was a risk. Naomi was very prone to rip his arm off if he irritated her enough, but he had to chance it. Kagome was dying. "Please. I have to know she's alright."

Naomi turned and looked at him. Her sea foam eyes seemed to consider him for a moment before she sighed. "I suppose there's no help for it. But I warn you, Inuyasha. If you even think Kikyo's name around Kagome I'll do so much damage to you that you'll wish you were dead."

"I understand."

He let her go and turned to see that Miroku and Sango were already getting onto Kirara. Turning back, he followed Naomi as she raced off. He nearly growled when she led him right to her mountain compound. He'd known this was where they'd go damn it. Before he could comment on this, Sesshoumaru stepped up to them.

"Kagome?" Naomi asked him.

"She's in her room. I haven't let anyone near her." He turned and led the way as he explained. "Hiroto had arrived just minutes after you left carrying her and shouting. Someone shot the miko with an arrow. The damage is extensive and she will die if you can't heal her."

He made no comment about Inuyasha's presence or the humans. One thing at a time. First he'd deal with the injured miko and the one foolish enough to attack someone under his protection. Then he'd deal with his brother's presence.

"Where did it hit her?" Naomi asked.

"Her left lung. I think someone was aiming for her heart."

"Who would be dumb enough to attack your guests?" she wondered as he pulled open the door leading to Kagome's room.

"I don't know." Sesshoumaru's voice was like ice. "But when I find out they won't live to repeat their mistake."

Naomi didn't doubt it. It was her last thought before fear and rage took over every thought and emotion. "I think I'll help you rip them apart."

Inuyasha followed her gaze to the bed and whimpered. Kagome was laying motionless on the bed. The arrow was still in her chest. She was so pale and her breathing ragged. Inuyasha could smell what Sesshoumaru had. Kagome was dying. He raced forward and took her hand in his.

"Kagome?" he called out. Relief flooded him when her eyes opened a little.

"Inuyasha?" she said as if she didn't believe what she saw.

"I'm here, Kagome."

"Actually, Inuyasha, you're leaving," Naomi told him. "I need space to work and someone to watch my doors so that no one comes in and sees what I'm doing."

He shot her a look that spoke of mutiny. He wasn't going anywhere. Even for Naomi.

She gave him a patient look. "Inuyasha, you know that I can help her. Do what I need you to so that I can save her life."

He gave Kagome one last concerned look. Naomi was right and he knew it. At this moment, she was the only one who could save Kagome. He also knew she couldn't let it be known that she could control water. Especially since he'd heard rumors that the Northern Lord was in the Western Lands.

With obvious reluctance he let go of Kagome's hand and stepped out of the room.

Naomi turned to Sesshoumaru. "I'll need water. Lots of water."

"I'll see to it."

Naomi turned to Sango and Miroku. "I'm sorry you two, but I'll need you to watch the doors as well. No one is to come in here until I'm done except for Sesshoumaru or Jirou."

"Who is Jirou?" Sango asked as she shifted towards the shoji leading outside the house since Inuyasha was watching the door leading to the inside.

"An older dog demon. He'll introduce himself if he needs to come inside here."

"Alright. We'll see to it, Lady Naomi," Miroku promised, following Sango outside to stand watch.

Naomi turned her attention to Kagome. "Well my friend, you're going to have to bear with me for a few hours." Using her claws, she cut open Kagome's shirt so she could see the injury better. "First thing is to take this arrow out without you bleeding to death or a lung collapsing."

That she could do as long as she had a ready supply of water. She wished she could use the stream running through the gardens, but there were too many guests running around for her to chance using her abilities there. She'd just have to make sure that Sesshoumaru provided her with a steady supply of the liquid.

On cue, Sesshoumaru came in with a large bowl of water. Without spilling a drop, he set it down on the nightstand next to Kagome's bed. Naomi set to work immediately, knowing Sesshoumaru would handle the water when she needed more. The liquid glowed as she directed it into the wound.

"Sesshoumaru, take the arrow out of her," she ordered, knowing Sesshoumaru would know how to do just that.

He broke off the end of the arrow then looked at Naomi to make sure she was ready. At her nod, he pushed the arrow through Kagome's body. The miko screamed in agony, but Naomi's water held her in place and kept even a drop of blood from spilling. Naomi immediately began using the water to mend the damage done. First the punctured lung. She was so focused that she didn't even notice when Sesshoumaru left the room or returned with water for her. All she knew was she never ran out of the liquid that became lifesaving in her hands.

It was noon of the next day before Naomi fell backwards with a gasp for air. Someone caught her and she looked back to see Sesshoumaru was still there. His amber gaze held a considering look as if something were just occurring to him. She wasn't sure that this was good for her continued health but decided she was too tired to think about it right now. Maybe later. When she'd slept for about a week.

"She'll be fine. Let Inuyasha know." Her eyes drooped a little before she forced them back open. "He and his friends will need to stay in his room. He'll know what that means. I'm sorry you'll have to deal with him. I..." She yawned and tried her best to finish speaking. "...I can't...stay..."

She didn't finish. Sesshoumaru looked down at her sleeping form with awe. To think that anyone, especially a hanyou had the power to bring someone back from the brink of death. It wasn't some small power Naomi had used just now. He lifted her up and left the room.

Inuyasha was in front of him before he took one step down the hallway. "Kagome?"

"The miko will be fine," Sesshoumaru said. The fear and worry in Inuyasha's eyes had him deciding to ignore the lack of manners. "She's sleeping."

He walked around Inuyasha to take Naomi to her room.

"And Naomi?" Inuyasha asked behind him.

Sesshoumaru gave him credit for checking on Naomi before running in to see the miko. "Sleeping. She used a lot of her energy to save the miko. A little sleep is all she'll need." He hesitated then sighed and gave the rest of Naomi's message. "She said to tell you that you and your friends are to stay in your room."

Inuyasha nodded once before running into Kagome's room. He opened the shoji leading outside to let Miroku and Sango inside. All of them checked Kagome for themselves. When Inuyasha told them that they were staying in his room, the two humans left to get some much needed sleep. Inuyasha chose to stay with Kagome.

Taking her hand again, he whispers, "Don't leave me, Kagome. I need you."

How stupid he'd been. Naomi was right about everything. It would serve him right if Kagome never forgave him. Still, when she woke up he would do anything she asked to earn her trust again. It didn't matter what it took.

He looked around for a chair he could move next to the bed and saw the arrow that had nearly taken Kagome from him forever. As he stared at it, a heartbreaking knowledge began to set in. He knew who had tried to kill his miko and now he had to make a choice. At least now he knew which one he'd choose.

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I'll post the next chapter before another week has past. Don't worry. Please review.


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